Terror at the Pokemon World Tournament
by Matthais Unidostres
Summary: Ash and his old and new rivals and friends have been invited to the Pokemon World Tournament! However, it turns out to be part of a game set into motion by a mysterious Trainer who claims to be so powerful that only an Aura Guardian like Ash can put up a decent fight against him. Is he really that powerful? And what will become of those who loose to him? Can Ash save the day?
1. Chapter 1

**Terror at the Pokemon World Tournament**

**Chapter One: Enter the Contestants**

_Our heroes, after taking a short stop at Driftveil City, are on their way to answer the special invitations they received from the new Pokemon World Tournament. With aspirations of winning it all and becoming one of the top trainers in the world, our heroes walk through the gate to the Pokemon World Tournament facility._

* * *

"You don't think it will be cold, do you?" Iris asked nervously, "This _was_ the Cold Storage before they renovated it into this 'Pokemon World Tournament' place."

"Axew. . ." Axew said nervously.

"Iris, the Cold Storage was _demolished_ and the facility was built on top of it," Cilan said, "According to the invitations that is."

"I can't wait! Soon we'll be battling Trainers from all over the world!" Ash exclaimed excitedly.

"Pika-pi Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered.

The trio soon exited the gate, and they could see the massive, blue roofed building ahead of them. Red and blue banners with Pokeballs on them hung on either side of the door.

"Alright! Let's go!" Ash cheered as he ran inside.

"Ash! Wait up! You're such a little kid!" Iris shouted as she ran after him. Cilan quickly followed as well.

Blue carpets were on the ground as the trio entered to main lobby. As they entered the room, they saw two familiar human faces, as well as two familar Pokemon.

"Cameron! Virgil!" Ash called out cheerfully.

Cameron and his Riolu both gave a cheerful thumbs up. "Hey Ash! Long time no see!" he said.

Virgil nodded as his Eevee turned from conversating with Riolu and waved as well. "Good to see you Ash. So you got an invitation too?"

"We all did!" Ash said.

"Yup! We're all gonna battle!" Iris said.

"Hopefully I'll be able to give each of you an A Class evaluation," Cilan said cheerfully.

"Oh really?" an obnoxious voice said.

The group turned to see two more familiar faces. It was Burgundy who had spoken, and Georgia the Dragon Buster was with her.

"Oh boy, here come the little kids," Iris moaned.

Georgia smirked and said, "What's wrong? Afraid of being totally humiliated when I crush you? Ha! You probably got that invitation by mistake!"

"Hey! If anyone got their invitation by mistake it's you! You're a jerk!" Ash shouted back.

"Hey! Who are you calling a jerk?" Georgia shouted back.

Cameron rolled his eyes and said, "Man, what a grouchy old lady, right Riolu?"

Riolu nodded.

"_Who are you calling an old lady! _If anyone's and old lady it's Old C Class over there!" Georgia shot back, jerking a thumb at Burgundy.

Burgundy gasped and her face turned red with rage, "_Old?!_ I am experienced! An aged fine wine! _You_ are tacky jelly!"

"Out of the way! Out of the way!"

Ash turned, but too late. . .

_CRASH!_

Ash fell flat on his back, moving the rug a bit."Bianca!" he shouted.

"Sorry! I didn't want to be late!" she said apologetically as he helped Ash up.

_"Well, at least I'm dry," _Ash thought.

"Hey look! It's Stephen!" Iris said, pointing.

Stephan moaned as he walked in, "It's Stephan! What did I ever do to deserve this name!?"

"Ah! The one who finally shut Cilan up!" Burgundy said happily, but then she turned angry and said, "Save him for me this time!"

"Hey! Ash! Iris! Cilan! Over here!" a friendlier voice shouted.

The trio turned to see Dawn entering the building, holding Piplup in her arms.

"Pip-piplup!" the Penguin Pokemon called out.

"Hey, it's Dawn!" Iris said as they went over to meet her.

"So you got an invitation too? Awesome!" Ash said, waving an arm and winking.

"Sure is!" Dawn said, returning the wave and wink. She then smiled even wider and said, "And guess what, I'm not alone! Look!"

Dawn stepped aside, and Ash gasped, "Wow!"

In walked none other than Brock, May, Max, and even Misty.

"Ash! It's good to see you again!" Misty said with a smile.

"Hey! Don't forget us!" May said cheerfully.

Suddenly, Brock ran forward and grabbed Brugundy's hand.

"Oh be still my heart! What lovely purple hair! What class! What poise! I am overwhelmed!" Brock chanted, completely love struck.

Three things happened at once.

Max ran forward and grabbed Brock's left ear.

Misty ran up and grabbed Brock's right ear.

Croagunk popped out of his Pokeball and Poison Jabbed Brock's behind.

"OHH! Love hurts! Times three!" Brock moaned as he fell over.

* * *

A few minuted passed during which introduction were made. Ash had already told Cilan and Iris about his old friends and the adventures they had long before, so they all became fast friends.

"It's really cool, how we all got the invitations for the Pokemon World Tournament!" May said.

"Wait, so, are you battling too?" Iris asked Max.

Max adjusted his glasses and said, "Heh-heh, well, no. I'm just here to cheer May on!"

"_Oh-no!_" Dawn gasped suddenly.

Everyone turned to see two more figures entering the lobby. One was Trip, and the other was-

"_Paul,_" Ash said in a low voice.

The pair of tough Trainers didn't seem to notice the heroes. They seemed to be in a mutual conversation and on very good terms. Trip was almost laughing, and Paul even had a small smile on his face.

"He kept getting hypnotized by Stantlers? Really?" Trip asked in disbelief.

"Hm! He certainly did. That's why I wasn't surprised when you told about how he tried to get you to catch him in a Pokeball," Paul commented.

"Hey! That was an accident!" Ash called out.

Paul gave Ash an icy stare, "Excuse me, but this is an A and B conversation. Can't you just mind your own business?"

Iris ran forward and got all in Paul's face. Seething with rage, she shouted, "YOU! You're that EVIL Trainer who almost killed that Chimchar and then abandoned him! Ash told me all about you! Why don't you go join Team Rocket or something?!"

Paul's cold and calm face didn't change a bit. "Why would I join those clowns? And anyway, I didn't 'almost kill' that Chimchar. Quite frankly, I made a mistake, Ash took advantage of it, and he got a powerful Infernape out of the deal. You should really be thinking me."

"Why you black hearted-!"

Iris stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Ash, giving her a reassuring smile. "It's okay, just let it go. He's not worth it," Ash said.

Iris sighed, she nodded, and took Ash's hand. What made her blood pressure spike was how he held her hand tightly in response for a moment.

"Wow, for a Dragon Master, you are _sooo_ out of control!" Georgia said mockingly.

"Was that little kid babbling? Or maybe an old lady moaning?" Iris said, flashing a quick smile to Cameron and Riolu.

"You-you-_you!" _Georgia said, seething with rage.

Cilan laughed nervously, "Well, this Tournament will have the uniqueness of imported spices of rivalry."

"_'Imported spices of rivalry!' _Ha! How pathetic and sad!" Burgundy replied mockingly.

Bianca looked around nervously, "Oh dear! Look at this, Steven! The Tournament hasn't even begun yet and they're already-."

"THE NAME IS STEPHAN!" Stephan roared at Bianca.

Max took off his glasses and covered his eyes, "Oh man! Is this the sixth or seventh level of Hell? We read Dante's Inferno in school this year, but I just can't-."

"MAX?!" May shouted angrily.

"_Insignificant,"_ a voice said.

Everyone looked to see a 17 year old Pokemon Trainer entering the lobby. He had a head of full black hair, black eyes, and a medium skin tone. He wore a pair of glasses, a green T-Shirt with a red jacket, blue jeans, and white sneakers.

"You are all insignificant," he said with an angry glare.

The Trainer pointed at Burgundy and Georgia, "You two are a pair of vengeful morons who can't accept the fact that you've lost. Is it because you both know that you really are failures?"

He then pointed at Trip and Paul, "And you two! You're hearts are stone! All you want is power! Disgusting! No heart, no tenderness, no sympathy! Scum!"

The Trainer folded his hands behind his back and walked in, "The rest of you are just plain vanilla with pointless aspirations with no bearing on the grand scheme of things. Well, with the exception of two."

He pointed at Iris, "You want to be a Dragon Master. That's good. However, you don't have the intelligence to do so. You only have two dragons? Why do you have an Excadrill and an Emolga! You should let them go! They're too distracting from your goal! You're not smart enough to be a Dragon Master!"

He then walked over to Ash. Pikachu eyed him dangerously as Ash just glared at him.

"Ash Ketchum," he said with a smile, "You are the only decent opponent here. Your adventures, your journeys, your way of bonding with Pokemon. Perfect. These others are just stepping stones. Together, Ash, we shall crush these fools, and at the final match, it shall be you and me."

"Just who do you think you are!?" Georgia shouted.

"I am Matthais Unidostres!" the Trainer said, turning around to face her, "And I was the one who set up this Tournament!"

There was a resounding gasp.

"How is that possible?" Misty gasped.

Matthais smiled, "I have. . ._influence _in high places. I had talent scouts searching the regions for Trainers of interest for me to battle."

"What are you saying? That this is all just a test for you?" Virgil said angrily, while Eevee growled at Matthais.

"Of course!" Matthais said as he turned around dramatically, "I am WAY too powerful! I need a challenge, or my Pokemon and I will grow bored."

"Why don't you put your money where you mouth is!" Stephan challenged.

Matthais smiled again, "Oh, I will, _Stephan._"

There was a moment of deafening silence. And then, Stephan zoomed across the lobby and grabbed Matthais in a huge bear hug.

"AAAAAH! HE SAID MY NAME RIGHT! HE SAID MY NAME RIGHT! I LOVE THIS GUY!" Stephan shouted.

Matthais laughed a bit and patted Stephan's back, "Heh-heh. Well you sure are the big hearted type. Good to your Pokemon too, I hear. If only you were stronger."

Stephan released him and smiled, "Hey-hey-hey! Remember, we're still rivals, and I plan on battling you with my all!"

Matthais shrugged, "Fine, believe whatever you want. Well then, we're all here. Lets register now." Matthais stepped towards the front desks, but then he turned and said to Ash, "Prepare yourself, Aura Guardian!"

Ash gasped.

Matthais smiled and continued walking. Stephan followed close behind.

"Whatever, let's go," Paul said. Trip followed close behind.

"Me first!" Georgia and Burgundy shouted, and they ran off as well.

Misty approached Ash and asked, "What did he mean by that?"

"How did his talent scouts find that out?" May asked.

"Huh! More like talent spies!" Dawn said.

"Will someone please explain to me what's going on!" Iris shouted in frustration.

"Me too!" Misty said.

"Simple!" Cameron said cheerfully, "Ya see, Aura is the, uh, blue stuff, uh, Riolu throws around! Right Riolu!"

Riolu face pawed.

"Oh brother," Virgil said and Eevee face pawed as well.

"Perhaps Ash knows the ingredients to this conundrum better," Cilan said.

"I'll tell you all later," Ash said, "Let's just go."

Ash quickly made his way to the registration desk, his mind in full turmoil. What was it about that Pokemon Trainer?

_"That Matthais guy. . .what's with him? How did he know about my Aura powers? Why is he so sure that he and I will end up in the finals? Is he really that strong? What kind of Pokemon does he have? How does he know about my rivals and friends?"_

Ash groaned and massaged his forehead.

"Pika-pi," Pikachu said softly, putting a paw on the side of Ash's head. Ash smiled a bit.

And then, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Ash turned around to see Iris' smiling face.

Ash suddenly felt as if a weight had been lifted off him. Ash then saw all his friends standing behind him. It was then when he realized that as long as he had his friends, everything would be alright.

If only knew he was going to loose one of them . . .

* * *

_As Ash, his old and new friends, and all of their rivals enter this new challenge set before them by the mysterious Matthais Unidostres, it seems as if something strange is about to happen. Something terrible. Something unlike they have ever seen before. What does Matthais have in store for our heroes? Stay tuned!_

**_TO BE CONTINUED_**

* * *

**_A/N: _**_Matthais Unidostres in this story is a satire of Mary Sues/Gary Stus, or to be more precise__ Villain Sues/Villain Stus. So don't write comments saying Matthais is a Gary Stu, because I did that purposely. It will all work out throughout the story, and there will be a decent plot. After all, Stus don't automatically destroy a Fanfic. And since I'm satirizing it, it should work very well._


	2. Chapter 2

**Terror at the Pokemon World Tournament**

**Chapter Two: The First Round- Part One**

_Our heroes, along with their friends and rivals, have all been invited to the Pokemon World Tournament by the machinations of the mysterious Matthais Unidostres. And now, the Tournament is about to begin!_

* * *

The stadium was packed with a screaming audience as smoke and confetti cannons went off. Lazer lights shined across the room as the voice of Freddy O'Martian came on the loudspeaker.

"Hello Unova! This is The Scoop here, and welcome to the first ever Pokemon World Tournament!" he announced, "Today, you will witness strong Trainer and Gym Leaders from as far off as Kanto! The best of the best has been brought here for your enjoyment, and our contestants will surely take this as a change to increase their own power! The winner of this grand tournament will receive the prize of pack off 6 Rare Candies, 1 Eviolite, and a Master Ball!"

There was a huge gasp among the crowd as a picture of the Master Ball appeared on the large video screen. Master Balls were incredibly rare since Silph Co. had permanently discontinued them.

"That's right! An authentic Master Ball! So, without further ado! It's time for us to kick off this tournament! Watch the monitor, as the match ups are randomly selected by the computer!"

Pictures of the 16 contestants appeared. They were shuffled around quickly, and then arranged in pairs.

"And the results are: Iris vs May! Trip vs Brock! Burgundy vs Misty! Ash vs Cilan! Dawn vs Bianca! Cameron vs Virgil! Paul vs Stephan! and Matthais vs Georgia!"

* * *

Back in the contestant lounge, the Trainers saw the results on a video screen. There were plenty of comfy chairs and sofas, along with refreshments such as Fresh Water, Milk, and even some coffee. There were even a a sizable rack of granola bars and a huge bowl of fresh fruit.

"Wow, it looks like I'll be battling you, May," Iris said with a smile.

May nodded, "Yup! I can't wait!"

Burgundy pointed at Cilan and said, "Listen! you had better not loose this! Cause after I'm done with her, I'm coming after you!"

"Just a minute!" Misty said, "Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm gonna win!"

Matthais, who had been standing in the corner eating a peanut butter granola, just shook his head, "Knock it off will ya? In the end, I'm going to win anyway, so quit your whining."

Georgia ran up to Matthais and shouted, "Listen here, you smug little pest! I am going to crush you into a pulp! Do you hear me?"

Matthais smiled and said smoothly, "Of course I hear your delirious fantasies. You shouting them, and I'm inches away from you. How could I not hear you? Really, Georgia, you should think about what you say before you say it out-loud and make an idiot of yourself in front of everyone like you just did."

Georgia's face turned bright red, and smoke seemed to come out of her ears.

"Mind your blood pressure," Matthais said innocently as he went towards the door to the stands.

"That kid is really starting to bug me," Burgundy said.

"Really? I kinda agree with what he just said," Iris said with a smile.

"_Don't - say - a word,_" Georgia growled as she left the room.

"Well, we're first! Come on!" May said cheerfully as she and Iris went out the door to the arena.

"Right!" Iris said as she followed.

* * *

"And now, without further ado, let the battles commence!" Freddy announced.

The crowd cheered as the spotlights moved around the arena.

"First up, we have a girl from the Village of Dragons planning on becoming a Dragon Master! Here - is - Iris!"

The crowd cheered as Iris walked in.

"And her opponent is a Pokemon Coordinator from Petalburg City in the Hoenn Region! Give your applause to May!"

Cheers greeted May as she entered the arena.

"These will be one-on-one Pokemon battles! The winner will be declared when the opposing Pokemon is unable to battle!"

"Let's go, Blaziken!" May said as she threw her Pokeball. Blaziken appeared in a flash.

"Hmm. . .a Fire-type. . ." Iris thought. Then she smiled and said, "Okay! Go, Excadrill!" She threw her Pokeball and Excadrill emerged.

* * *

In the audience, Matthais shook his head, "Some Dragon Master. She's not even using a Dragon-type."

"Actually, Iris is being smart," Ash said, "Excadrill Ground-types will be strong against Blaziken."

"Excadrill is a Ground and Steel-type, fool," Matthais said, "Blaziken's Fire-type moves will be super effective against Excadrill. Now do you see her foolishness?"

Axew glared at Matthais angrily, but Ash patted his head and said, "Don't worry about him. Let's just cheer Iris on! Okay?"

Axew smiled, and he and Pikachu began cheering.

"You can do it, May!" Max shouted.

"Best of luck to both of you!" Cilan cheered.

"Ready? BEGIN!"

"Blaziken, use Fire Spin!"

Blaziken sent out a swirling vortex of fire at Excadrill.

"Dodge it with Dig!"

Excadrill dived underground just in time to dodge the fire. He then burst out of the ground and knocked Blaziken off balance.

"Quick, use Blaze Kick!"

Blaziken quickly hit Excadrill in the chest with a fiery kick, knocking him back.

"Show him who's boss, Excadrill! Use Drill Run!"

Excadrill jumped into the air and transformed into drill mode. He zoomed towards Blaziken fast.

"Counter with Sky Uppercut!"

Iris gasped, "A Fighting-type move?"

Blaziken's Sky Uppercut connected with Excadrill's Drill Run. As a result, the super effective Fighting-type move sent Excadrill sprawling into the ground.

"Excadrill! Are you okay! Can you get up?"

Excadrill groaned, and slowly lifted himself onto his feet. He shouted with determination as he raise his claws high.

Iris smiled, "That's the spirit! Now use Dig once more!"

Excadrill dived into the ground.

"Blaziken! Wait for him to come out. . ."

Blaziken waited. . .and then he felt vibrations beneath him.

"Jump!" May shouted.

Blaziken jumped just as Excadrill burst out of the ground.

"Sky Uppercut!"

Blaziken zoomed down towards Excadrill. However, Iris wasn't worried in the slightest.

"Alright! Grab Blaziken with Metal Claw!"

Excadrill grabbed Blaziken by the leg with his strong digging claws.

"Oh no!" May gasped.

"Throw him into the hole!"

Excadrill heaved Blaziken down into the ground.

"Finish it with Drill Run!"

Excadrill jumped into the air and used Drill Run full force down into the ground. There was a huge cloud of dirt, and then silence.

Excadrill jumped out of the hole in triumph and people applauded.

* * *

"Alright! Iris won it!" Ash cheered.

"Not yet," Brock said, "Look!"

Suddenly, Blaziken leaped out of the hole, and he was glowing red.

"It's Blaze!" Cilan gasped.

* * *

"Of course," Iris gasped, "When a Fire-type Pokemon gets weak, Blaze make it stronger!"

"Wow! Alright! It's all or nothing now!" May said, "Now, use Overheat!"

Blaziken began to glow with greater intensity.

"Use Dig NOW!"

Blaziken seemed to explode with fire, and it seemed to spread across the whole arena. When the flames finally subsided, Excadrill was nowhere to be found.

May's eyes widened, "Oh no! It missed him!"

And with that, Excadrill burst out of the ground and knocked Blaziken down, leaving him senseless.

"Blaziken us unable to battle! Excadrill and Iris win!"

The crowd cheered as Iris ran over to hug Excadrill.

"You did it, Excadrill!" Iris cheered as Excadrill smiled in return.

"You did a good job, Blaziken. Take a good rest," May said as she returned him to the Pokeball. She then walked over to Iris and said, "You're Excadrill sure was strong!"

Iris smiled, "Thanks! Blaziken was pretty strong too!"

May nodded, "Yeah, but I think I have to work on his _defense. _I mean, Excadrill was bale to avoid most of Blaziken's attacks, and when he did get hit, he was able to stand up to it. Excadrill's lucky to have the perfect combination of attack and defense."

"Drill-drill!" Excadrill said proudly with a smile he just couldn't hide.

"Wow, thanks May!" Iris said.

* * *

Matthais shrugged, "Well, Iris may have won, but she still doesn't truly comprehend what it means to be a Dragon Master."

"Hey, listen to me Matthais," Ash said sternly, "Iris is an incredible Trainer who understands her Pokemon, especially Dragon-types. Just watch, she'll show her trur power in this Tournament, and you'll be amazed!"

"Axew!" Axew added sternly.

Matthais looked at Ash, "You do realize that no matter what, it's gonna be me and you in the Final Round, right?"

Cilan shook his head, "Now, now. You can't be sure who's going to win. And win or loose, I'm sure Iris will impress you."

"We'll see about that," Matthais said calmly.

* * *

"I'm sorry you lost, May," Max said sadly.

May shrugged and said, "Oh, it's okay! Contest are more my thing anyway!"

* * *

Trip's Serperior made short work of Brock's Sudowoodo. Serperior's Leer shut Sudowoodo down early on, and his speed left Sudowood breathless. Even when he use Mimic to copy Serperior's Dragon Tail, he still couldn't get ahead. Serperior ended the battle with a super effective Energy Ball.

After that battle, it was time for Burgundy vs. Misty.

"First, from Cerulean City in Kanto, we have a Gym Leader known as the Tomboyish Mermaid! Misty!"

The crowd cheered as Misty walked in, waving to the crowd.

"And now, the classy Connaisseuse aiming to rise up to S Class, here's Burgundy!"

Burgundy elegantly walked in as the crowd cheered.

"Dewott! Let's go!" she declared as she threw her Pokeball, releasing her Pokemon.

"Politoed! Let's do it!" Misty said as she thre her Pokeball. Politoed smiled and started clapping merrily, jumping up and down.

Burgundy looked at Politoed and smiled. She spun around and posed, saying, "It's Evaluating Time, _s'il vous plaît!_"

"Huh?" Misty said.

Iris moaned, "Oh boy, time for a nap!"

"This Politoed!" Burgundy began, "What an awful shade of green! What a terrible aroma of overly cheerfulness! Unlike my Dewott, who takes things seriously, your Politoed is a clown! A jester! Like a common cupcake loaded with overly sweet chocolate and extra sugar! AWFUL! HORRIBLE! You need to replace that candy coated Pokemon immediately!"

Misty clenched her fists and shouted angrily, "WHAT?! How dare you! My Politoed is perfect just the way it is!"

Burgundy scoffed and said, "Like you know anything about evaluations anyway! Seriously, take my word for it. I am a Pokemon Connaisseuse after all!"

"Ready? BEGIN!"

"I'll wipe that smirk off your face! Politoed, use Headbutt!"

"Dewott! Counter with double Razor Shell!"

As Politoed was just about to hit Dewott, Dewott knocked it back with his two Razor Shells.

"Don't give in! Use Water Gun!"

Politoed got up and shot out a Water Gun.

"Retaliate with Ice Beam!"

Dewott's Ice Beam hit Politoed's Water Gun and froze it. The ice creeped all the way to Politoed's head.

"Oh no! Politoed, break free!"

"Quick, while Politoed's still frozen! Use your Razor Shells!"

Dewott jumped forward and hit the struggling Politoed with his two Razor Shells. The ice was shattered and Politoed was sent sprawling.

"Oh no!" Misty gasped.

Burgundy smiled smugly and said, "Hit Politoed again with double Razor Shell!"

The word echoed in Misty's brain. . ._double. . ._

"_That's it!_" she cried, "Politoed, get up and use Double Slap!"

Politoed flipped onto it's feet and used Double Slap on the approaching Dewott. With one swift motion, Deowtt's shells were slapped right out of his hands.

"NO!" Burgundy cried.

Politoed began slapping away at Dewott until he was sent sprawling.

"Dewott, quick! Get your shells back!"

Dewott got up and turned toward his shells.

"Politoed, use Swagger!"

Out of the corned of his eye, Dewott spotted Politoed Swaggering. An uncontrollable rage erupted inside Dewott. He began using Water Gun and Ice Beam all over the arena. However, none of the attacks hit Politoed.

* * *

"Of course," Cilan said, "Swagger raises the opponent's attack power, but confuses them as well."

* * *

"Dewott! Control yourself!" Burgundy cried out desperately.

Dewott sent an Ice Beam straight up, which fell right back down on him, freezing him solid.

"Finish this with Headbutt!" Misty shouted.

_SMASH!_

Dewott was sent sprawling amoung pieces of shattered ice. He lay on the ground, unconcious.

"Dewott is unable to battle! Politoed and Misty win!"

The crowd went wild as Politoes jumped up and down and clapped in celebration. Politoed then jumped into Misty's arms and received a big hug.

"Dewott, return," Burgundy said sourly. She then turned to where Cilan sat in the audience and shouted, "YOU CAN LOOSE TO ASH NOW!" She then stomped off of the stage.

* * *

"Awesome, Misty! You sure proved Burgundy wrong!" Ash said.

"That's right! You shut up that little kid good!" Iris added.

Misty smiled, "Thanks, that was a fun battle."

"Indeed," Cilan said. He then got a twinkle in his eye and spun around. "And now, it's Evaluating Time!" he said, holding a hand up in a pose.

"Not again," Iris moaned.

"When I look at Politoed, I feel a warmth not unlike a mother's or grandmother's home made cookies! Or perhaps like a sweet lemon drop on a summer afternoon! Such vibrancy! Such excitement! Such life! Politoed is a Pokemon that brings optimism to any battle!"

Misty blinked, and then she smiled, "Wow. . I think I like your Evaluation better!"

"Hmmph!" Burgundy said as she sat in the corner, "I hope you all loose."

Misty stuck her tongue out at her.

Cilan smiled, "Try not to be too hard on her, Misty. She just need more experience in being a Pokemon Connaisseuse."

"You're joking. You're kidding right?"

Everyone turned to see Matthais standing there.

"She's a failure. Just an angry failure who can't accept that she'll never have what it takes to be a good Connaisseuse."

"Hey, who do you think you-," Burgundy challenged, but Matthais cut her off.

"SHUT-UP!" he shouted, causing her to cower a bit. "Don't you get it? Your evaluations suck. They're always negative and scathing. You're just biased against the whole world. You're egotistical and think you're always right. Wake up! You're always wrong. You can't even control your own Pokemon battles! Give up your crazy revenge plan on Cilan! He never did anything to you! All he's done was be nice to you, even though you're a lost cause. You're an F Class Connaisseuse, Burgundy! Get used to it!"

Burgundy's eyes twitched and her lower lip trembled. She quickly ran off into the ladies restroom.

"Pathetic," Matthais spat as he helped himself to another peanut butter granola bar.

Suddenly, Georgia grabbed him by the shoulder and said in a voice filled with rage, "_You're gonna pay for that!_"

Matthais just burst out laughing.

Georgia actually snarled and ran into the the ladies restroom as well.

May looked as if she was about to say something when Brock stopped her.

"Let's not start a fight," he said to the room at large, "And I think Georgia can take care of Burgundy." However, everyone gave the chuckling Trainer a death glare.

* * *

When Georgia entered the bathroom, Burgundy was splashing water on her face in between sobs. Georgia grabbed Burgundy roughly by the shoulder and turned her around so that they were face to face.

"Listen to me!" she shouted, "Are you going to let on little loss and some trash talking from a little shrimp break you? What are you? A pathetic whimp? You're tougher than him! Don't make him think he's right? You may have lost this Tournament, but that doesn't mean he's right, or that he's better than you! Now listen to me, you're gonna be an S Class Connaisseuse, and the next time you see him, you're gonna defeat him and shut him up! You are a strong Trainer, don't you forget it! Because if you do, I am slap you around till you do! Understand?"

Burgundy stared into Georgia hardened gaze for a long moment. Then she sighed and let her head fall on Georgia's shoulder. Georgia sighed and gave Burgundy a pat on the back. "It's okay. You're stronger than this. I know you are. You're a worthy opponent for me at least."

Burgundy lifted her head, a little more composed, and took a deep breath and let it out. "You know," she said, "He was right about Cilan. He was always nice to me. I _did_ let the whole revenge thing get blown out of proportion."

"Maybe," Georgia said with a smile. Burgundy smiled in return.

"Well, come on," Georgia the Dragon Buster said with a mischievous smile, "Let's go an watch the matches. Then you can watch me _destroy_ Matthais."

Burgundy laughed out loud, and the two friends walked out of the restroom, arm in arm.

* * *

Cilan's Pansage was no match for Ash's Pikachu, and was quickly dispatched when Electro-Ball over took Solar Beam, and was followed by a Quick Attack that knocked him out.

Dawn's Quilava and Bianca's Emboar were neck in neck, almost equal. However, what won it for Quilava's was speed and agility. Quilava was much smaller than Emoboar, and thus could move faster. Add in a combination of Smoke Screen and Swift, and Emboar was quickly overwhelmed and left using Hammer Arm and Arm Thrust in the smog as he was pounded from all sides by Swift and Flame Wheel until he went down.

Cameron's Ferrothorn was quickly defeated by Virgil's Flareon. Falreon easily dodged Ferrothorn's Pin Missile and Mirror Shot. Even though Ferrothorn scored a hit with Thunderbolt, Flareon struck back with Fire Blast and it was all over.

Cameron later lamented not using Riolu right away and apologized to his buddy. Riolu seemed okay with it, and had been cheering Cameron and Ferrothorn on throughout the battle. Also, Cilan reminded Cameron that Riolu was also a Steel-type, so it still would have been a tough battle.

In the battle between Paul vs Stephan, Paul's Electivire triumphed over Sawk. Stephen tried to finish it quickly with a combo of Bulk Up and Close Combat. However, Electivire's Protect made it all for nothing. It also gave Electivire the importunity to land a critical hit of Brick Break, which was followed by Thunder, which knocked Sawk out due to his lowered defense from Brick Break.

"I hope you realize why you lost," Paul said sternly, "Sawk has no balance. All he knows are Fighting-type moves. If he doesn't gain some variety, you can never hope to win against someone like me and Electivire!"

Stephan glared angrily at Paul, and helped Sawk up to his feet, "It's okay, Sawk. You did your best and I"m proud of you."

In the audience, Matthais smirked, "Wow. The black hearted Trainer speaks words of wisdom. Who would have thought. . ."

* * *

"And now, it's time for the final battle of round one!" Freddy announced, "First, we have the self proclaimed Dragon Buster, a master of Ice-types, Georgia!"

The crowd cheered as Georgia entered the arena.

"I've been waiting for this!" she said with a smile, "I'm going to enjoy winning this!"

"And now, from Black City, we have the mysterious, the tenacious, the adamant, the Great and Powerful Matthais!"

The crowd went wild as Matthais strode in. He had quickly changed from his red jacket to a longer flowing Anime trench coat of the same color.

Georgia sneered at him, "What the heck are you wearing?"

Matthais seemed to ignore that comment. His coat red coat flowing behind him, Matthais pointed directly at Georgia. "Dragon Buster!" he declared, "When I am finished with you, you shall never have another Pokemon battle again!"

There was a tremendous gasp from the crowd.

* * *

_What does Matthais mean by this bold statement? What does he have planned for this Pokemon battle? What powers does this mysterious Trainer really have? Could it be that Georgia is in real danger? Stay tuned!_

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	3. Chapter 3

**Terror at the Pokemon World Tournament**

**Chapter Three: The First Round- Part Two**

_At the Pokemon World Tournament, Iris, Trip, Misty, Ash, Dawn, Virgil, and Paul have moved onto the second round. Now, the final battle of the first round is about to begin: Matthais vs Georgia!_

* * *

His coat red coat flowing behind him, Matthais pointed directly at Georgia. "Dragon Buster!" he declared, "When I am finished with you, you shall never have another Pokemon battle again!"

There was a tremendous gasp from the crowd.

"Oh really?" Georgia sneered.

"Yes, really," Matthais said, "Do you know why I desire for that to happen?"

"I don't really care."

"Because you don't deserve to be around Pokemon!" Matthais spat.

"And why is that," Georgia said with a bored expression on her face.

"Because you hate a specific type of Pokemon, Dragon-types," Matthais said smoothly, "And that makes you a danger. Don't you see? Before long, you'll be hunting Dragon-types in the wild. Smacking them down for fun. Then you'll go a bit further, maybe watching them suffer a bit. Then you'll start killing them. First for sport, then a your life's mission. Soon, others like you will join you in your dark crusade. Before long, and army of inferior people like you will swarm the Village of Dragons and reduce it rubble. _I CANNOT ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN!"_

The entire audience began talking fast in shock as Georgia stood there open mouthed at what she just heard.

* * *

"That guy's nuts!" Iris said, Georgia wouldn't do crazy stuff like that!"

"What is with this guy?" Misty said in shock.

Cilan shook his head, "It appears Matthais seems to take in a person's negative attributes, and magnifies them in his own mind."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"Think about it. Burgundy is inexperienced Connaisseuse, and Matthais called her a total failure. Georgia has a grudge against Dragon-types, and Matthais is saying that she might lead a Dragon-type genocide one day. It's all magnified in his mind," Cilan explained.

"But what do you think she meant by, 'you shall never have another Pokemon battle again'?" May asked nervously.

Cilan wrung his hands, "Well, if Matthais really is mentally unstable. . .something potentially bad."

Max gulped audibly.

"Relax," Brock said calmly, "We're in an official Tournament with referees. There's nothing Matthais can do here."

_"I hope," _Burgundy thought as she sat in her seat quietly.

* * *

"I will end you, Georgia, and what better way to do it with one of the Dragon-types you hate so much! Hydreigon, come forth!" Matthais declared as he threw his Pokeball. The three headed dragon roared, flexing its six, ribbon-like, black wings.

Georgia just stared at Matthais in shock, but then she shook her head rapidly and said, "You're completely out of your mind! Time for me to send you packing with a busted dragon to boot! Go, Beartic!" She threw her Pokeball and out came the ice-bearded bear with a roar.

"READY? BEGIN!"

"Use Ice Beam!" Georgia commanded.

Beartic sent the icy attack at Hydreigon.

"Pathetic," Matthais remarked.

Hydreigon then unleashed a beam of pale purple fire from the mouth of its center head that met the Ice Beam head on.

* * *

"That's Dragon Breath!" Iris said.

"But Matthais didn't give Hydreigon a command!" Ash said, "What's going on?"

* * *

Dragon Breath pushed back the Ice Beam and struck Beartic full force.

"No! Beartic!" Georgia shouted.

Beartic groaned in painful. The attack had paralyzed him.

"Go now!" Matthais shouted.

Hydreigon then flew towards Beartic as blue fire formed a dragon shape around him.

"That's Dragon Rush!" Georgia shouted in fear.

Hydreigon slammed in Beartic and knocked him back in an explosion.

Matthais laughed victoriously and said, "Now do you see?"

Georgia glared back defiantly, "I see you can't control your Pokemon!"

Matthais gave Georgia a cold, long stare. "Is Hydreigon flying around recklessly, attacking randomly, not hearing a word I say? NO! Look at him now! See how patiently he's waiting?"

Georgia turned to see Hydreigon floating calmly in mid air, occasionally looking back at Matthais.

"If you're referring to how I do not call out attacks," Matthais said, "The answer to that is simple. _We are one."_

The audience broke into a hum of talk at the statement.

"What?" Georgia asked.

"I have reached the highest level of connection between Trainer and Pokemon," Matthais said, "I know their thoughts, and they know mine. When we battle, we are in perfect sync. Therefore, it is by the power of my will that I guide my Pokemon through battles!"

"No way!" Georgia shouted, "That's impossible! You're lying!"

* * *

Misty turned to Brock, "Brock, could that be true? Could Matthais have such a deep connection with his Pokemon?"

Brock stroked his chin, "Well, I've never heard anything like it before, but I suppose it is possible."

"Woah. . ." Stephan said, "I wonder if he'd teach me about that?"

Ash thought for a moment, "In prefect sync. . .the power of his will. . ." Ash then turned to Pikachu, "I'm not sure about that, but I think our bond is good and strong too, right Pikachu!"

"Pika-pi!" Pikachu said strongly.

Ash then turned to Iris, who looked very nervous and upset.

"Ax-axew?" Axew said.

"Iris? What's wrong?" asked Ash.

"I just wonder," Iris said, "If I want to be a Dragon Master, maybe I should have a connection as strong as his. Maybe that's what he was trying to say when he-."

"Don't listen to him!" Ash said seriously, causing Iris to give him a surprised look, "I don't care what he says about you, you're on your way to becoming a Dragon Master, and it's your way! You shouldn't have to listen to what he says you should be like! You already understand Dragon-types so well! he's wrong when he says you're not smart enough. You're doing fine just the way you're going!"

"Ash," Iris said, then she smiled and nodded, "Right! I'll show him! I'm gonna win this Tournament!"

Meanwhile, Paul and Trip sat watching the battle quietly.

_"Connection between Pokemon and Trainer? Is this more of that nonsense Ash was talking about? Is there really something to it?" _Paul thought to himself as Trip snapped pictures of the battle.

* * *

"Don't be a fool!" Matthais said, but then he smirked and said, "But then again, we can't change who we are at heart!"

Georgia growled and shouted, "Get up Beartic!"

Beartic growled lowly and got to his feet.

"Good!" Georgia said with a smile, "Now use Icicle Crash!"

Beartic breathed icy breath that formed into icicles. The icicles were then sent flying at Hydreigon.

"Our power cannot be overcome!" Matthais shouted.

Hydreigon charged up a Dragon Pulse in his center mouth and launched it. The blue ball of energy bounced from icicle to icicle, absorbing them and forming a spiked ball of ice and blue energy. The ball soared into the air above Beartic.

"Oh no! Dodge it, Beartic!" Georgia shouted.

"Hold the foe still, Hydreigon!" Matthais shouted.

Hydreigon released another Dragon Breath attack that hit Beartic as he jumped to the side. Beartic was once again paralyzed. Unable to move, the spike ball of Dragon Pulse and Icicle Crash smashed into Beartic.

"No!" Georgia shouted.

Beartic was thrown face down into the ground.

"Relax," Matthais said, "I don't think he's had enough just yet."

Georgia looked confused, but then she saw that Beartic was slowly getting up. Beartic stood on his feet and roared with rage.

"Beartic. . ." she said, then she smiled. Full of confidence, she shouted, "Okay! It's time to hit him with an attack he can't dodge! It's time for us to freeze Hydreigon solid, and put Matthais in his place! Ready, Beartic!"

"Beartic!" Beartic said with a determined nod.

"Use Blizzard!"

Beartic roared as a mighty blizzard formed around him. A cloud of ice and snow then burst forth and streamed from all directions towards Hydreigon.

"It's over!" Georgia declared.

Matthais' glasses flashed, "You have no idea what you have brought upon yourself! _**Do Not Taunt Cthulhu!**_**"**

Hydreigon roared and flew high up in the stadium as the Blizzard approached him."

Matthais raised his arms high and shouted clearly, **_"Special move!"_**

* * *

"Special move?" Iris repeated in confusion.

"It looks like Matthais is about to use some secret weapon!" Cilan said.

"Georgia!" Burgundy shouted, suddenly jumping up from her seat.

* * *

_**"Triple Dragon Emperor Rage Rush!"** _Matthais roared at the top of his lungs.

Hydreigon's three heads roared as blue flames surrounded them. Then, the flames burst off from them, forming flaming spirits shaped like his heads. The three fiery blue heads shot down into the blizzard. vaporizing all the ice and snow instantly. They flew around the stadium, and made a beeline for Beartic. Two of the fiery head snapped onto Beartic's arms and pulled up into the air. Beartic roared as the blue flames badly burned through his fur and began scorching his skin.

"BEARTIC, NOOOOO!" Georgia screamed as her Pokemon was helplessly lifted up into the air and tortured with burns.

The third fiery head hovered in front of Beartic for a moment, and then, plunged down into his chest. Beartic led out an unearthly roar of pain as the fiery dragon head drilled into his body, until finally, it broke through. There was no actual puncture wound, or to be more precise, no huge gaping hole. Anyway, the attack did not actually physically go through Beartic. It appeared to ghost through him with an unearthly screech. However, what happened next was inconceivable. Georgia only had time for a scream as the third head, after going through Beartic, slammed down hard on top of her, swallowing her whole as it crashed down.

_BOOOOOOOOOOOM!_

* * *

"NOOOOOOOO!" Burgundy screamed as everyone else watched in silence.

When the smoke cleared, Beartic lay face up on the ground with badly burned arms. Georgia lay face flat on the ground, not a single burn on her. It was as if she hadn't been touched. However, she wasn't moving at all.

"Beartic is unable to battle. . ." the announcer said emotionlessly, "The winner is Hydreigon and Matthais. . ."

The crowd burst into an uproar as Matthais just smiled. "Good work, Hydreigon. We are invincible," he said as he recalled his Pokemon into the Pokeball. He then walked calmly out of the arena.

"Ash," Iris said softly, her voice and body shaking.

Ash reached over to hold Iris' hand without hesitation, squeezing it tightly. Pikachu and Axew were in shock.

"I - I - I. . ." Cilan stammered, at a lost for words.

"I can't believe this is really happening," Brock said in a terror filled tone.

* * *

Located in the basement of the Pokemon World Tournament Building was a Pokemon Center and Medical Facility. Georgia and Beartic were quickly taken there after the battle by a Nurse Joy. Although Beartic' injuries were healed, he seemed to be trapped in bizarre coma. What was worse was that Georgia was also trapped in that same mysterious coma.

When everyone was in the contestant's lounge, Nurse Joy gave them all the terrifying news.

"WHAT!? That can't be! NO!" Burgundy shouted.

"Matthais. . ." Stephan spat, turning to the straight faced Trainer, "You little piece of- of- GAH!" Stephan swung a fist at Matthais. However, Matthais caught the fist and used the momentum of the swing to throw Stephan down to the ground and flat on his back.

Cameron and Riolu rolled up their sleeves (or imaginary sleeves in Riolu's case) and stepped forwards towards Matthais. However, Virgil and Eevee quickly blocked their way.

"Calm down," Virgil said, "This guy is way too dangerous. I'm sure our best course of action is to keep him here until Officer Jenny shows up."

"Officer Jenny isn't going to show up. The bridge has been blocked and all exits to this building are on magnetic lock. Not even the audience can leave," Matthais said with a smile as he leaned against the wall.

"WHAT!?" everyone shouted.

"We're hostages?" Max shouted in fear, his eyes wide and looking around fearfully.

"Relax, once Ash and I have had our final battle, the doors will open and you can leave," Matthais said in annoyance.

"You're not gonna have any more battles!" Cilan shouted, pointing dramatically at Matthais, "You're like an insect in a fine, expensive dish! Your flavor is wasted! You are despised! After what you've done, you will be disqualified and arrested!"

Matthais burst out laughing, causing everyone to give him a fearful stare. Matthais composed himself and said, "Don't you remember my. . ._influence._ .I organized this tournament. The referee, the announcer, even that Nurse Joy answers to me. Besides, it's not like I attack the Trainer during the battle. I just add a little extra emphasis after the battle. So, I don't really break any of the rules."

"What did you even do to Georgia and Beartic!" Ash shouted.

"I took their souls," Matthais said smoothly.

The room was deathly silent.

"Since I am at the highest level of connection between Pokemon and Trainer, all who face me must accept a higher penalty for loss," Matthais said, "The ones who are unworthy and inferior must yield the souls of their Pokemon, and their own soul to me, the superior battler. And from those souls, my power grows. How does it work? What happens to the soul? Where does it go? I don't know, and frankly, I don't care. All I know is that I'm not the first to discover it. Remember the King of Pokelantis, Ash? How do you think his soul got trapped in the Stone Orb?"

Ash's heart skipped a beat as he remembered that horrible experience of being possessed.

Matthais chuckled and said, "Ash, when I take your soul, the soul of an Aura Guardian, I truly will be at the highest of power. Soon, Legendary Pokemon will be following me. . ."

Matthais went towards the door, but stopped short. He turned and said, "Oh yes, I suppose if Ash were to defeat me, the stolen souls would be returned. Good. A reason for you to give it your all an not hold back, Ash Ketchum. I'll be waiting.

And with that, Matthais walked out of the room.

* * *

"All we can do is go along with this Tournament until somebody defeats Matthais," Brock said a little later after some things were settled among the group.

"I don't know who he thinks he is with that bond between Pokemon and Trainer nonsense," Paul said bitterly, "All I know is that I'm the only one who could possibly defeat him."

"I wouldn't be too cocky," Trip said.

Iris became very determined, "Me and Dragonite will-."

She was cut off when Ash suddenly grabbed her arm. Ash looked at Iris and said, "Uh. . .Iris. . ."

"Yes, Ash," she said nervously, her heart pumping from the contact and the focusing of his amazing brown eyes.

"I. . .I . . I want you to be careful. . ." Ash stammered, sweating visibly, "If you have to fight him. Don't take any chances. . ."

"Ash, we all know that!" Misty said.

"Right, we know he's dangerous," Dawn said, "In fact, I really hope it won't be me."

"Or me!" Cameron said.

"You already lost to me," Virgil said.

Cameron blushed as Riolu face palmed.

Ash sighed, and he turned to Iris as she began talking to May and Max.

_"Iris. . . ."_ Ash thought, _"What if. . .before I get to. . ."_

Suddenly the video screen turned on and interrupted Ash's thoughts.

"Okay. It's time to decide to match ups for the second round!"

Everyone watched with bated breath as the pictures of the remaining contestants were shuffled around.

* * *

_And so, Matthais has begun a reign of terror amongst our heroes and their friends and rivals. Georgia has already fallen, and any one of them could be next. Will the person be triumphant in defeated Matthais? Or will that Trainer become Matthais' next victim? Stay tuned!_

**TO BE CONTINUED. . . .**

* * *

_**A/N:** This being a satire of Villain Stus, it's clear that Matthais has A LOT of power in controlling how things are going down. Also, he thoroughly ENJOYS being evil, and has the strength to back it up. This is all on purpose, and remember, he is merely a part of the setting and scenario to allow other plot points and character stories to develop. **Please review!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Terror at the Pokemon World Tournament**

**Chapter Four: The Second Round- Part One**

_Terror abounds at the Pokemon World Tournament now that Matthais has revealed his true power. Boasting of a possessing the highest level of connection between Pokemon and Trainer, Matthais led his Hydreigon in crushing Georgia's Beartic, and Georgia herself, stealing both their souls in order to increase his own power. With defeating Matthais in a battle being the only way to free the stolen souls, our heroes can only watch in anticipation as the second round match ups are being determined._

* * *

"Okay. It's time to decide to match ups for the second round!"

Everyone watched with bated breath as the pictures of the remaining contestants were shuffled around.

"And the results are. . ." the the voice of Freddy said as the pictures paired up and stopped, "Trip vs Dawn, Ash vs Misty, Virgil vs Iris, and Matthais vs Paul!"

"Finally!" Matthias shouted triumphantly, and he pointed at Paul threateningly, "Justice will be served! You're going straight to Hell!" And he left without another word.

Paul just turned away and said, "Like I'm supposed to be afraid of him. . ."

"Uh, don't you think you _should?_" Cameron asked tentatively.

"Hmmph!" Paul replied.

Cameron clenched a fist, "Well excuse me! Well, when your soul gets stolen-."

"Cameron, calm down!" Virgil said as Riolu and Eevee both were jumping up on Cameron's legs to get him to back off.

"No one's soul is gonna get stolen," Cilan said resolutely.

Trip stepped forward and said, "Paul is going to win. He knows he's better than that punk."

Ash held out his hand towards Paul, "Good luck, Paul. But be careful."

Paul didn't take Ash's hand, and simply turned to the side, "I don't need luck, and I don't need to be careful. You on the other hand. . ."

Ash pouted and folded his arms, "Gosh, I'm just trying to be nice."

"Ash," Misty said gently, "Let's just. . .battle with all our might so. . .that is. . .in case. . ." Misty was clearly very worried about Matthais.

"Hey! No need to worry!" Dawn said as she put a hand on Misty's shoulder, "Let's just focus on the battle right in front of us. If one of us has to deal with Matthais, then we'll deal with him when the time comes."

"Dawn is right," Iris said cheerfully, "Let's just try our hardest and keep moving on!"

"Ax-ew-ew!" Axew cheered.

"I just want Matthais to get what's coming to him," Stephan said darkly as he rubbed his sore back.

Burgundy sat in the corner, with her head in her knees. She looked up slightly, her eyes dark and filled with hate. "That goes double for me. . ." she said.

* * *

"And now, for the first battle of round two, Trip vs Dawn!"

The two Trainers stepped out onto the battlefield.

"Go, Mamoswine!" Dawn said as she released her Pokemon.

"Serperior, let's go!" Trip declared as he threw his Pokeball.

Both Pokemon appeared and stared each other down.

* * *

"Mamoswine's an Ice-type, so he has the advantage!" Iris said.

"Don't forget Serperior's speed, and Mamoswine is weak to Grass-type moves. So there really is no true advantage. This will be a difficult battle for Dawn," Cilan warned.

* * *

"Ready. . .begin!"

"Mamoswine, use Ice Shard!"

Mamoswine fired shards of ice from its mouth.

"Dodge it, Serperior, then use Energy Ball!" Trip commanded.

Serperior dodged it effortlessly and then launched a green ball of plant energy at Mamoswine.

"Counter with Hidden Power!" Dawn shouted.

Mamoswine shot smaller balls of energy at the Energy Ball. However, the Energy Ball plowed through the Hidden Power and scored a direct hit on Mamoswine.

"Mamoswine!" Dawn shouted out in concern.

"Use Wrap!" Trip commanded.

Serperior quickly snaked around Mamoswine and began squeezing him tightly.

"Oh no!" Dawn shouted.

Trip smirked.

"Show him we mean business! Use Ice Fang!" Dawn shouted.

"Quick, use Dragon Tail!" Trip shouted.

Just as Mamoswine was about to bite Serperior's tail with Ice Fang, the tail started to glow a bright blue, and smacked him the face.

"Keep it up, Serperior!" Trip said.

Serperior hit Mamoswine in the face with Dragon Tail over and over again, until finally, the repeated attacks combined with the squeezing of Wrap cause Mamoswine to loose consciousness.

"Mamoswine is unable to battle! Serperior and Trip win!"

Serperior released Mamoswine and slithered back over to Trip. Trip stroked Serperior's head and said, "Good job, Serperior. You showed them your speed and strength."

Dawn rested her head against Mamoswine's side. "It's okay, you did your best. You'll do better next time, you'll see!" she said, and she recalled him into his Pokeball.

* * *

"Trip's Serperior was so fast!" Dawn said to the others, "He just dodged and attacked and countered so quickly!"

"I know, Trip and Serperior must have done a lot of training," Ash said, "Especially after he lost to Alder that time."

May put a finger to her chin, "Alder. . .he's the Unova Champion, right?"

"Well with those moves, I'm pretty sure he stands a good chance!" Max said.

* * *

Our next battle is Ash vs Misty!

The crowd cheered as the Trainer entered the arena.

"Be careful, Ash! I've gotten stronger since the last time we met!" Misty said with a smile.

"Well then it's a good thing I've gotten stronger too!" Ash replied.

Misty winked as she took out a Pokeball, "Hm. . .we'll see about that! Go, Gyrados!"

"Go, Unfezant!" Ash said.

The two Pokemon were released.

* * *

"Why didn't Ash use Snivy or Pikachu? He'd have an advantage," Max said.

"That's Ash's battle style, for you!" Cilan said with a chuckle.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cheered. Axew, Riolu, and Eevee joined in as well.

* * *

"Ready. . .begin!"

"Gyrados, use Flamethrower!" Misty said.

"Dodge it!" Ash cried.

Unfezant flew out of the Flamethrower's path.

"That's why I didn't choose Snivy!" Ash said with a smile.

"Not bad, Ash," Misty said, "But can you dodge this! Use Whirlpool!"

Gyrados formed a whirlpool in its mouth and threw it at the flying Unfezzant.

"Dodge it!" Ash cired.

Unfezant tried to get out of the way, but was caught by the edge and spun around within until she was thrown out and onto the ground.

"Come on, Unfezant! Get up!" Ash urged.

"Alright, now use Hyperbeam!" Misty commanded.

Gyrados built up energy in it's mouth.

"Come on, Unfezant! I know you can do it! Please get up!" Ash begged.

Unfezant slowly opened her eye and craned its neck to see Gyrados charging its Hyper Beam. Just as Gyrados fired it, Unfezant flew up into the air and dodged it.

"Way to go, Unfezant!" Ash cheered.

"Alright, let's try that again! Use Whirlpool"

Gyrados threw another Whirlpool at Unfezant.

Ash stared at it, and then an idea flew into his brain.

"That's it!" he gasped, "Unfezant, use Aerial Ace towards the edge of the Whirlpool!"

* * *

"What is Ash doing?" Iris exclaimed.

"I think Ash is having one of his bright ideas!" Cilan said.

_"What the heck-?" _Trip thought. He tapped Paul on the shoulder, "I think you'd better take a look at this."

* * *

Unfezant flew into the Whirlpool, and was soon being twirled around the outer edge, still glowing white from the Aerial Ace.

_"What's going on?" _Misty thought nervously.

"Alright, Unfezant! Give it a burst of speed!" Ash shouted.

Unfezant flapped its wings a few times, and shot out of the Whirlpool and slammed right into Gyrados. Gyrados was sent rolling across the arena from the direct hit.

"Now do a loop-de-loop, and Aerial Ace one more time!" Ash shouted.

Unfezant flew up towards the roof, pulled into a dive, and screamed down towards Gyrados glowing white. She connected right underneath Gyrados' chin, and knocked it senseless.

"Gyrados is unable to battle! The winner is Unfezant and Ash!"

The crowd went wild as Unfezant landed next to Ash.

"Awesome, Unfezant! Take a good rest," Ash said as he put her back into the Pokeball.

"You did an awesome job, Gyrados. We were so close," Misty said as she drew Gyrados back into the ball. She then turned to Ash and said, "Wow! You really did get stronger! That move was incredible!"

"Thanks Misty! You're Gyrados is strong too. That's why I used Gyrados' Whirlpool to power up Unfezant's Aerial Ace!" Ash said with a smile.

* * *

"Well, Ash is a little better than we thought," Trip said.

Paul rolled his eyes, "Hmmph! Please. Misty just got cocky and allowed him to take advantage of Gyrados' whirlpool in a clever way. There's no way I'd ever be that careless."

"I hope you aren't. . ." Trip said.

"What? You think Matthais could beat me?" Paul replied with one eyebrow raised.

"Matthais is not like anything I've ever seen," Trip said with a worried look in his eyes, "And after what he did to Georgia-."

"Are you seriously buying all that stolen soul nonsense?" Paul spat, "All they did was get hit on the head really hard. They're just on comas, their souls weren't stolen That's fairy tale nonsense! And I'll prove it by crushing Matthais. Then I'll win this tournament."

Trip only stared at his angry eyed friend as he bit his lip nervously.

* * *

"Next we have Virgil vs Iris!"

As the crowd cheered, Iris smiled and pointed, "Let's do this Axew!"

Axew jumped out of her hair and took a battle stance.

"Glaceon, let's do this!" Virgil said as he released his Pokemon of choice.

"Ready. . . begin!"

"Glaceon, use Ice Beam!"

"Counter with Dragon Rage, Axew!"

The two attacks met at the center and canceled each other out in an explosion.

"Now use Scratch!" Iris said.

Axew ran forward with his claws outstretched.

"Dodge it! Jump!" Virgil said urgently.

Glaceon jumped and dodged the Scratch attack.

"Perfect. . ." Iris said with a smile. Then she shouted, "Axew! Use Giga Impact!"

Axew's body became surrounded in energy. A bright flash of yellow light appeared in front of his face as it looks up towards Glaceon. He then shot himself at Glaceon and an orb of light purple energy with spiraling light yellow streaks around it appeared around Axew's body. He slammed into Glaceon's chest, flinging him into the air where he landed a few feet away.

"What-?! Alright! No more fooling around!" Virgil shouted, looking very determined, "Glaceon, Icy Wind!"

Glaceon was still on the ground, but he lifted his head and released a blast of cold air towards Axew. Axew shouted out in pain as the Icy Wind hit his legs, causing him to fall to his knees.

"Axew!" Iris shouted in concern.

"Now use Blizzard!" Virgil commanded.

Glaceon sent a mighty burst of ice and snow out which washed over Axew, causing him to cry out and hug his body for warmth.

"Finish it with Ice Beam!" Virgil shouted.

Glaceon shot out the freezing laser, which hit Axew square and froze him in a block of ice.

"AXEW!" Iris shouted in horror.

* * *

"Oh no, Iris!" Dawn gasped.

"Well I guess it's all over for Axew," Stephan said sadly.

"NO! There's gotta be something they can do!" Cameron said. He grabbed his head band and pulled on it until it stretched a few inches out. He then released it, and it snapped hard around his head. "AH!" Cameron shouted in pain, clutching his rattling skull, "I've got nothing!"

"There is one way she can win."

Everyone turned to see Matthais approaching.

"If she really wants to be a Dragon Master, then she must let her heart become one with Axew's. Then, they would be unstoppable."

"We're not interested in anything you have to say!" Stephan shouted while jumping up and pointing at Matthais.

"Look, believe what you want. All I know is that I know what I'm talking about," Matthais said, "Let's just watch and see what Iris can do. . ."

* * *

"Come on Axew, don't give up! You have to break free!" Iris cried desperately.

Axew remained frozen in the ice.

"You can do it, Axew! I believe in you!" Iris shouted, "We've worked so hard, came so far, we can't loose! Not here! Not now!"

Iris put a hand over her heart, "We're in this together, Axew, you and me, together! We can win this together! Just know that I'm here, and that I believe in you! That's what being a Dragon Master is all about!"

Virgil just stood in amazement as Iris spoke to the frozen Dragon-type. He looked at Axew, and gasped in disbelief when he saw cracks forming in the ice.

"You can do it, Axew!" Iris shouted, "Break free! Break free from the ice!"

More crack formed, and from within, Axew's eyes seemed to gain a red tint to them.

"Do it! AXEW!" Iris shouted.

There was a sound like shattering glass as Axew burst worth from the ice with a shout. Axew's eyes were glowing red, and an aura of the same color eminated from him.

"That's Outrage!" Virgil gasped.

"GO NOW!" Iris shouted.

Axew ran forward and unleashed a barrage of scratches, kicks, punches, slaps, and head butts at Glaceon. Already weakened by the Gig Impact, Glaceon was no match for the onslaught, and quickly lost consciousnesses and was left lying slumped against the wall.

"Glaceon is unable to battle! Axew and Iris win!"

The crowd roared the loudest it has ever roared as Iris ran up and scooped Axew up into her arms.

"Axew! You did it! YOU DID IT!"

Axew had managed to avoid getting confused after Outrage this time, and smiled and cheered along with Iris in victory.

* * *

"There," Matthais said with a smile, "Now that's the mark of a budding Dragon Master. Their hearts are nearly one. However, she has much more work to do. Perhaps battling her after Paul will be quite interesting."

Ash suddenly jumped up and said, "Hey! Who says you're gonna be fighting her next?!"

"How sweet, you're worried about her," Matthais mused.

"What Ash means," Paul interrupted, "Is that you are going to use to me."

Matthais burst out laughing for the third time that day and left towards the contestant lounge.

Trip stared at the battlefield, _"What Iris did. . .it was amazing. . ."_ he thought. Then he looked at Paul, who walked calmly towards the waiting room for the next contestant. Trip followed after him quickly.

* * *

"WOW!" Max shouted, "That was totally awesome!"

Axew stood proudly as Pikachu, Eevee, and Riolu gathered around him, talking excitedly.

Virgil walked in and said, "That battle was amazing, Iris. It was mind blowing how you made that comeback. Absolutely incredible."

"It helps that Axew and I are really close!" Iris said, "We were fighting together. Even though Axew was frozen, I sorta, felt his spirit and I gave him my strength so he could break free!"

Cilan struck a thoughtful pose, "Hmmm. . .Matthais said that a Dragon Master must let his heart become one with their Pokemon."

"It looks like he was right about that. . ." Brock added.

"I wonder if Paul can beat him?" Dawn said nervously.

"We're just gonna have to wait and see," Misty said.

"Hey, where's Trip?" Stephan asked.

* * *

"I don't need your 'good lucks' or 'be carefuls'!" Paul said as Trip approached him, "I have enough skill to crush Matthais!"

"But don't you see?" Trip said urgently, "This is bigger than you, or me, or any of us. Matthais took their souls."

"I don't believe that!" Paul spat bitterly.

Trip growled and said, "Grr! Fine! Just listen to this. It's too late for you to become one with your Pokemon like he says, so you just have to give it your all and don't hold back a thing! Hit him with everything you have. Cause if you don't, then I'll have to!"

"Whatever," Paul said as he walked into the arena.

Trip sighed and though to himself, _"What a strong Trainer. Headstrong that is. He just won't listen. He's not that bad a guy underneath. But he needs to realize that there's more to Pokemon battles than strength. I learned that lesson when I lost to Alder. If only Paul would learn that lesson too. . ."_

* * *

"And now it's time for the final battle of round two! We now have Paul vs Matthais!"

There was cheering for Paul mixed with boos for Matthais as both Trainers walked into the arena.

Matthais was wearing his red trench coat again, and it kicked up behind him as he pointed at Paul and said, "Today is the day you pay for your crimes against the Pokemon Race, evil one!"

Paul just gave Matthais a cold, long, hard stare.

* * *

_And so, the final battle of round two has finally come. Will Paul meet the same fate as Matthais? Will Matthais prophecy of a battle between him and Ash come true? Or will Paul be the one to undo all of Matthais' dark power? Stay tuned!_

**TO BE CONTINUED. . .**


	5. Chapter 5

**Terror at the Pokemon World Tournament**

**Chapter Five: The Second Round- Part Two**

_In the second round of Matthais' Pokemon World Tournament, and Trip, Ash, and Iris have emerged victorious, and now it is time for the last battle of round two, Paul vs Matthais!_

* * *

"And now it's time for the final battle of round two! We now have Paul vs Matthais!"

There was cheering for Paul mixed with boos for Matthais as both Trainers walked into the arena.

Matthais was wearing his red trench coat again, and it kicked up behind him as he pointed at Paul and said, "Today is the day you pay for your crimes against the Pokemon Race, evil one!"

Paul just gave Matthais a cold, long, hard stare.

"You must pay for all the pain and torture you have given so many Pokemon! When I crush you, your crimes will finally be paid for! Justice will be served! _Evil must be destroyed!_" Matthais said strongly.

"Are you done, because I have a speech of my own to make," Paul said coldly.

"Oh really?" Matthais said with a laugh, almost amused, "Well then, I might as well let the condemned man a chance to say his piece."

Paul waited for Matthais to finish speaking, then he said, "So you think just because I push my Pokemon extra hard that makes me cruel and evil. Seriously. Well for your information, I actually understand where you're coming from. But why don't I start from the beginning. . ."

Paul closed his eyes in thought as he continued, "My brother Reggie lost a battle to Pyramid King Brandon a while back. I thought he'd train harder and keep battling until he beat that pompous King. But he didn't. He just walked away and gave up, and didn't change a thing. That disgusted me. How could anyone be satisfied with loosing?"

Paul opened his eyes and looked straight at Matthais, "So I decided to focus on strength, and in order to do that, I had to make my Pokemon as strong as I could. I couldn't spoil them or give them a chance to slack off. I couldn't afford to do that. But then I met Ash."

Paul smirked, "Ash. . .the one who spoiled his Pokemon, the one who said 'good job' even if they lost, the one who didn't train his Pokemon half as hard as I did, the one who I gave that failure of a Chimchar who lost his nerve and couldn't hold his own in a tag battle. . .the one who beat me in the Sinnoh League. . ."

Paul then started laughing deeply, eyes closed as he shook with mirth as he stood in the stadium. He laughed and shook his head, "He beat me. Ash and Chim- _Monferno _beat me." Paul became serious, "So, it appears that Ash, and your, way of connecting with Pokemon may not be complete nonsense. But you don't expect me to change my training style. I train my Pokemon long and hard. I expect results. But that does not mean I didn't learn anything."

Paul took out his Pokeball and threw it, "Electivire! Stand by for battle!"

Electivire came out and stood proud.

"I had him since he was an Elekid," Paul said, "There's something about raising a Pokemon for three evolutionary stages. . ." he mused. "After I lost the Sinnoh League battle to Ash. . .I did something I never did before. . . I actually thanked Electivire for a job well done. It was weird, frankly. He lost, and let I felt he gave it his all. I was proud of him, _despite_ his loss. A concept completely alien to me. I'm not a wimp who pampers my Pokemon. I train them hard. But still. . .I view Electivire as my strongest and most faithful partner! All those battles, catching all those Pokemon, all those hours of training. . .Electivire!"

Electivire turned his head to look at Paul.

Paul smiled and gave a thumbs up, "You were always the one who showed the most promise. You could take my training regime. You showed results. You understood my thoughts. If that isn't proof of this _'connection thing' _this guy is talking about, then nothing is. Regardless of that, we're gonna crush this fool together!"

Electivire smiled and stomped excitedly, ready for battle.

* * *

"Wow, Paul really changed," Dawn said.

Brock nodded, "He sure did. He seems to finally understand how important trust is to Pokemon training."

"Whoa, Paul," Ash said his shock, then he smiled and said, "Alright! I think Paul can win this!"

Cilan nodded, "Mm-hm. Like a tempered dark chocolate mousse that has finally reached perfection and cooled down to gain the prefect consistency Not overly sweet, still slightly dark, but an excellent dish none the less.

"Well, Matthias doesn't think so. Look, he's smiling!" Max said while pointing.

"Actually, I think he's laughing. . ." May added.

* * *

Paul stared coldly at Matthais as he began to laugh long, loud, and hard. Eventually he stopped laughing and composed himself.

"I don't think you understand," Matthais said, "I don't care if you've changed. I don't even care if you've become a Pokemon rights activist! What matter is what you have done. You caught Pokemon and just let them go and gave them away because they weren't strong enough. You put Pokemon in excruciating pain under the guise of training. Remember what you did to Chimchar! You disregarded fears, made them suffer, spat in their faces, gave no comfort, and turned your back on Pokemon who were so loyal to you. So what if you don't do that anymore? You still did it, and you were never punished for it! You cannot get away with your crimes! You must pay for them, and I'm going to make you pay!"

Matthais threw his Pokeball, "Go now, Zebstrika!"

Zebstrika came out a brayed threateningly.

"Paul, it's time for you to be punished for what you did!" Matthais shouted bitterly, almost in a snarling voice.

"Ready. . .begin!"

"Show him your power!" Matthais shouted.

Zebstrika stomped on the ground and was enveloped in flames. It then charged forward at Electivire.

"Electivire, create a Counter Shield!" Paul ordered as Zebstrika approached with its Flame Charge attack.

Electivire unleashed a Thunder attack into the air.

* * *

"I remember this," Ash said, "Paul used this against Infernape. He uses Thunder to make an electric shield."

"Wow, what a move," Stephan said.

Trip nodded, "Of course. Paul can't lose to someone like Matthais."

"Uh, his shield thingy isn't working!" Bianca said nervously.

"What?!" Trip said.

* * *

As the Thunder attack zoomed into the, air suddenly curved down and hit Zebstrika's lighting bolt shaped horns. It was absorbed into it, and Zebstrika gained a burst of speed that it used to hit Electivire with the Flame Charge attack.

"What?" Paul said.

Matthais smirked, "My Zebstrika is rare in that it possesses two abilities. Lighting-rod, which draws in Electric-attacks, and Motor Drive, which converts Electric-attacks into speed!"

* * *

"No way! Two abilities?" Iris gasped.

"It seems Paul is in for a very tough battle," Cilan said.

"Don't worry," Ash said, "Paul just has to avoid using Electric Attacks. He can still win!"

"But that only leaves him with Protect and Brick Break," Dawn said.

"Doesn't matter," Trip said, standing up next to the group, "Paul and Electivire are strong. They're not gonna let Matthais and Zebstrika push them around!"

"Trip's right! We gotta believe in him!" Ash said, and he cheered, "You can do it Paul! Keep at it! You can get around his tricks!"

Pikachu, Axew, and Piplup all cheered as well. Riolu and Eevee just watched nervously, standing close together. They were a little fearful of Matthais after what happened to Georgia and Beartic.

* * *

"You Pokemon's abilities don't frighten me!" Paul said defiantly, "Nor does your way of calling attacks with your mind or whatever you do! Electivire, use Brick Break!"

Electivire's hand glowed white and he ran towards Zebstrika.

"With my mind? I'm not a psychic, you fool!" Matthais shouted.

Zebstrika used Double Team and four clones appeared as the real one jumped into the air. Electivire hit the clones as the real one landed behind him.

"Our minds are one! It is with my will that I guide my Pokemon in battle! In fact, they make the battle decisions as much as I do!"

Zebstrika opened its mouth and released a loud, high pitched bray that cause many people to cover their ears.

"That's Round!" Paul said through clenched teeth as his ear drums rattled in his head,

Electivire covered his ears and moaned.

"Crush him, Zebstrika!" Matthais shouted.

Zebstrika's body was surrounded in an invisible energy. A bright flash of yellow light appeared in front of its face. It then shot itself forward towards Electivire as an orb of light purple energy with spiraling light yellow streaks around it appeared around Zebstrika's body.

"Quick! Use Protect! ELECTIVIRE!" Paul shouted as loud as he could.

Electivire's eyes snapped open as he took his hands off of his ears. He brought up the blue shield of Protect just in time. Zebstrika slammed into and was knocked back.

* * *

Bianca let out a deep breath and sat down, "Whew! That was too close!"

"I don't think Paul can afford another close call like that," Cilan said.

_"Come on, Paul. Focus!" _Trip thought.

* * *

"Luck. Just pure luck," Matthais said bitterly.

Paul smirked, "Oh really? Well guess what! After using Giga Impact, Zebstrika has to take a minute to recharge. So I think I'll finish this right now! Electivire, use Thunder into the ground!"

Electivire plunged its tail into the stadium and unleashed a Thunder attack that sent rocks exploding out of the ground, which then fell in Zebstrika's direction.

"It's over," Paul said.

"What kind of a blind, foolish, idiot are you?!" Matthais shouted, and he held a hand out, "Zebstrika! Smash that attack to pieces!"

Zebstrika, just having recovered from using Giga Impact, held it's head up as it's horn started glowing white. Zebstrika began hitting the failing boulders with Rock Smash dashing them to pieces.

"Not bad," Paul said, "But Electivire and I are still in this! Even if you repel our attacks, we'll keep repelling yours! You can't beat us!" Paul held out a thumbs-up ot Electivire He smiled and returned the gesture.

"You were right, it is over!" Matthais said calmly.

"What?" Paul said.

"Over. . .for you!" Matthais held his hand up high, "Zebstrika! Show them the fires of Hades!"

Zebstrika cloaked itself in fire and prepared a Flame Charge.

"Electivire, use Protect!"

Electivire shielded itself, only to watch Zebstrika charged past him.

"What the heck?" Paul said.

Zebstrika's fiery form charged around the stadium, apparently not interested in hitting Electivire.

* * *

"What is Zebstrika doing?!" Iris asked.

"Working on a sinister recipe," Cilan said gravely, "Take a good look at the ground."

Brock gasped as he saw the glowing red trail Zebstrika was leaving in its wake. "No way! Lava!"

Trip was speechless, "But. . .how?"

"The pieces of rock," Cilan explained, "Zebstrika's Flame Charge gathered up the fragments as it ran across the stadium. It was so hot, that it melted those tiny rock fragments into lava, which is being left as a trail from behind Zebstrika."

"Pika! Pika!" Pikachu shouted in concern and Axew and Piplup closed their eyes in fear.

"Oh no! Electivire's begin boxed in!" Ash gasped.

Stephan leaned against the railing and shouted, "Do something Paul! Quick!"

* * *

"No! NO!" Paul shouted as the disaster unfolded before his very eyes.

Electivire looked around at the shallow moat of lava that had formed around him. Being a large and bulky Pokemon, Electivire had now way of jumping across it. The moat wasn't that very deep, but deep enough to keep Electivire from escaping.

Zebstrika skidded to a halt in front of Electivire and scrapped the ground with its hooves.

"You're done, Paul. There's nothing you can do," Matthais said coldly.

"You're wrong!" Paul shot back.

"Am I?" Matthais said, "Think about it! You're Electric-type moves won't work, Brick Break won't reach far enough, and don't expect Protect to save you! I've got you right where I want you! Now I can give you your sentence for all the evil you have done! Do you want to know what your sentence is?"

"Hmph! Fine, I'll bite. What is it?" Paul said disgustedly.

Matthais smiled the most wicked, cold, terrifying smile you would ever see, "Now that you've finally gained some sort of quote-unquote _bond_ with a Pokemon, after you've abused them, tortured them, and abandoned them for so long. . .you get to see your Pokemon suffer. . ._and die_. . ."

Paul shouted in his mind that it was a lie, a joke, an empty threat; but that stop his heart from growing cold, sinking, and skipping a beat all at the same time. He looked at Electivire, who looked back. The Pokemon closed his eyes and shook his head.

Paul's eyes darted to Zebstrika and Matthais. Now they were glowing with a sparking, yellow aura.

"Special move. . ." Matthais said.

"ELECTIVIRE! PROTECT!" Paul shouted at the top o his lungs, actually feeling afraid in spite of himself.

Electivire brought up his arms to form the shield, but it merely blinked on and off for a few seconds.

"That's what happens when you try to use that move multiple times in a row," Matthais said, then clasped his hand and held them high, "_**SPECIAL MOVE! HADES FLAME SWORD!**_"

Zebstrika's lighting bolt horns burned a fiery red, and then fused together into one large thunderbolt. It then expanded to 4 times its original length and burned like an inferno. Zebstrika then leapt forward over Electivire and came down hard.

"NO!" Paul shouted. He looked at Electivire, who looked back at him. They met eye to eye. Electivire flashed a last smile, and hung his head in defeat.

_**SLASH!**_

* * *

. . . .

. . . .

. . . .

"Welcome to Hades," Matthais said.

Paul opened his eyes and looked around. He was no longer in the stadium, he appeared to be in a forest area.

"How the heck did I get here. . ." Paul said, but then he remembered, "Wait! Electivire! The battle! What happened to-."

Paul's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the sound of a battle up ahead. Curious, Paul followed the noise out of the trees and onto a rocky outlook. There, he could see himself ordering Chimchar in a battle against a Graveler.

"What the-?" Paul gasped, "What is this? Have I gone back in time?"

There was suddenly the sound of cruel laughing. Then there was a Flash, and when Paul's vision returned, his past self had been replaced with Matthais, and Chimchar had been replaced by Elekid.

"What the-!?" Paul shouted.

Graveler used Rock Throw to hurl pieces of stone towards Elekid. Elekid looked back at Matthais in fear.

_"Dont dodge!" _Matthais commanded with Paul's voice.

Elekid's eyes widened with fear, and he turned just in time be pelted with rocks.

"Elekid!" Paul shouted.

_"You have to learn how to battle under pressure, you worthless little runt!" _Matthais ranted, still using Paul's voice.

Elekid strained against the Super Effective attack, cringing in pain as the rocks dug into him.

"Stop it!" Paul shouted, "Elekid, don't listen to him! Listen to me! Dodge it! Dodge it now!"

Elekid didn't appear to hear Paul, but merely fell to his knees under the weight of the attacks.

There was another flash of light, and Paul found himself in the Hearthome City Tag Battle Tournament. Elekid was up against an enormous Zangoose. The small Pokemon trembled in fear and took two steps backward.

"Elekid. . ." Paul said.

Suddenly, Matthais appeared behind Elekid and shouted in Paul's voice, _"Quite fooling around! Fight! Fight! FIGHT! What are you? A weakling! Either show results or hit the road!"_

The Zangoose pounced upon the trembling Elekid and began pummeling him with all its might.

"NO!" Paul shouted.

_"Battle harder! Harder! HARDER!"_

There was yet another flash, and Elekid was blocking Ash's Turtwig from a Fire Blast attack. Unlike Chimchar, Elekid was not holding up very well against the searing heat.

"Elekid! Get out of there!" Paul shouted. When Elekid gave no indication of hearing him, Paul turned towards Matthais, who just watched coldly.

And then, for a brief second, Matthais' eye met Paul's. There was no denying it. . .this Matthais was no illusion. He was real, and he could see and hear him.

"Do something!" Paul shouted at Matthais, "Elekid can't last for much longer!"

Matthais stared at Paul coldly, and smirked, "Why should _we_ waste our time with such a weak Pokemon?"

Paul's eyes widened, and he turned to Elekid. The Pokemon gave one final shout of pain, before vanishing in the flames that suddenly burst into cinders and ashes.

Silence.

"_No. . ." _Paul gasped as he stared the scorched patch of earth where Elekid used to be. He turned to Matthais, filled with rage. "What have you done!?" he said, his voice filled with intense anger.

"You _still_ don't understand?" Matthais said, "This is your punishment! Do you really think it was okay the way you treated Pokemon like Chimchar and others who you thought were 'weak'? All I did was show you how wrong you were by doing what you did to your Elekid, the one Pokemon you actually bonded with!"

"I never did what you did!" Paul spat.

Matthais laughed and said, "Oh really? You didn't insult your Pokemon? You didn't put them down? You didn't with-hold praise when they needed it? You didn't force them to undergo pain? You didn't try to understand their feelings? You didn't avoid having any sort of connection with them?"

"STOP!" Paul shouted, holding his arms up, "Okay! I get it! I admit! I just wanted them to get strong or get lost! That's how I was before! When Ash raised that Chimchar to be so strong, it made me realize all that! That's why I did things different with Elekid! I got it, if you want strong Pokemon, you have to fight with them and have their backs. I learned that lesson."

"But you never paid the price!" Matthais shouted back, "You need to be punished for your crimes! So, by the power of my strong will, I managed to modify this process of you loosing your soul. Now, you get to see the gravity of your evil. Trainers like you break Pokemon's spirits. Pokemon trust their Trainers. They're faithful to them. Their hearts and minds connect. But when evil ones like you abuse their Pokemon and abandon them, that trust and that spirit is dashed to pieces. Only a truly dedicated Trainer who truly can communicate with the hearts of Pokemon can save a soul like that. Lucky for Chimchar, Ash was one of those special Trainers, which is why I want to battle him. Anyway, I hope you realize what a scourge you are to this world, scum! You may have changed, but you still must pay, and I'm going to make you pay by taking your new found Pokemon bond, and exploiting it. . .by crushing it. . ."

Paul heard a cry of intense anguish from behind him. He turned around quickly and saw a sight that quickly liquefied his insides. Elekid had reappeared on the patch of scorched earth. However, his body was so mangled, so scorched, so disfigured, so badly burned, that he was almost unrecognizable.

Paul stepped back, a tightness in his chest full of liquid guts. The tightness reached it through, where a mighty pressure built. Pressure built in his eyes as well, and he covered them with the heels of his hands. He fell to the ground, where he move his arms to his stomach as it sloshed around like a shack of jelly. Unable to contain the pressure any longer, Paul let out a sound from his throat that sounded like a wounded Ursaring. Before long, his eyes and nose were like faucets, extra valves to unleash all of the raw emotion that Paul had never experienced in his entire career as a Pokemon Trainer.

Before long, Paul's anguish died down, and he lay trembling at Matthais' feet.

Matthais smiled as Paul looked up at him, his face and hair a total mess. Paul gasped out, "Please!_ Kill me_! I've got nothing left! I've lost my best Pokemon. I've lost my dignity! Look at me! _I'm so pathetic now! _I have nothing! Please, just make it stop! My life is over!"

Matthais nodded, "Yes, it _is _over. . ." Where Matthais stood, Zebstrika suddenly appeared. With one swift motion, it slashed down with its Hades Flame Sword. . .

* * *

The crowd let out a large gasp, and even a few screams of horror. Zebstrika's Special Move had gone right through Electivire, although like with Beartic, it created no wound. Electivire was not cut in half, but the attack seemed to affect his very spirit as it went right through him. However, what was really horrifying was that right after the attack went through Electivire, the lighting bolt shaped horn extended and shot right through Paul's chest.

Zebstrika's horn returned to normal, and the ring of lava cooled back into rock.

"Excellent job, Zebstrika. Remember, we are the ultimate," Matthais said as he recalled his Pokemon.

Right after Zebstrika returned, both Paul and Electivire fell forward and hit the ground with a simultaneous thump.

". . .the winner is Zebstrika and Matthais. . ." Freddy said softly.

* * *

"That son of a Darkrai!" Trip shouted as he punched the wall in the contestant lounge.

"I say we just all gang up on Matthais!" Stephan shouted as he cracked his muscles with a serious expression on his face.

"NO!" Virgil said, "All he has to do is send out one of his Pokemon and we're all goners."

"What if send all of our Pokemon out at once?" Cameron suggested.

"Bad idea, Cameron," Brock said, "It would be total chaos. There's not enough room to fight in here, and Matthais could hit a whole bunch of us with one attack. We're too close together."

"So," Dawn said nervously while hugging Piplup tightly, "The only way to stop him is for someone to beat him in a battle?"

Cilan nodded, "I'm afraid so. . ."

Misty looked over to Ash and Iris, "So, I guess its you two, Matthais, and Trip in the semifinals."

Iris nodded, "This has to stop. . .I know Dragonite and I can do it."

"_Iris, wait,_" Ash said a little strongly.

Iris looked at him in confusion, "What?"

"Iris. . .maybe. . ."

"Maybe what? Maybe I can't do it? Maybe Matthais is right and I'll never be a Dragon Master? Is that it?" Iris said in a tone containing traces of anger and hurt.

Ash actually put his hands on Iris' shoulders, "No! It's just, well, you saw those battles. . .and. . hey, maybe it won't be you who has to battle him!"

"Please look at the monitor for the semifinal match-ups," came Freddy's strained and uneasy voice.

Everyone turned to see the pictures of the four semifinalists get shuffled around fast.

"And the results are. . .Matthais vs Iris and Trip vs Ash," Freddy said.

Everyone watched Ash in shock as he went tearing out of the room.

* * *

Freddy O'Martian shouted in alarm as the door to the commentators box was broken down. He turned to see Pikachu powering down his Iron Tail as Ash walked in.

"Listen, this Tournament has to stop before Matthais hurts anyone else!" Ash shouted while pointing at Freddy.

"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu added strongly.

Freddy moaned and dropped to his hands and knees an began pleading with Ash, "I'm so sorry! But I just can't do a thing! Matthais is too powerful! It's not just his Pokemon team, he has other smaller Pokemon obeying him. He uses his connection of hearts or whatever it is to have them take out everyone in his way! You heard him! He blocked off the bridge and sealed us all inside here! He could take reprisals out of the audience if he wanted to! Look, I know it's terrible what he's doing, but I can't stop him! Nobody can stop him until he loses a battle! Please, understand! Please!"

Ash walked over and grabbed Freddy's hand, lifting him to his feet, "You don't have to beg, I understand. It's just that, I don't want Iris to be next."

"Maybe she'll win," Freddy suggested.

Ash though for moment, "Yeah. . .maybe she and Dragonite _can_ defeat Matthais. . ." Ash nodded determinedly, "I have to have faith in Iris! She can win! I know she can! I have to believe in her, that's all! I have to tell her, now!"

Ash quickly left the room, and Pikachu followed behind quickly.

"Sorry about the door!" Ash called back.

Freddy laughed miserably as he collapsed into his chair, "Oh think nothing of it. . .oh dear. . .what a horrible day. . ."

* * *

Iris paced back and forth in the contestant preparation room, beside herself with worry.

"I can do this. . .I'm going to be a Dragon Master. . .I'm going to win. . .I'm not gonna end up like-."

Visions of Georgia and Paul flashed before her eyes.

Iris closed her eyes and shook her head, "No! No! I'm going to be a Dragon Master! I-"

_Matthais pointed at Iris, "You want to be a Dragon Master. That's good. However, you don't have the intelligence to do so. You only have two dragons? Why do you have an Excadrill and an Emolga! You should let them go! They're too distracting from your goal! You're not smart enough to be a Dragon Master!"_

Iris felt as if she had been hit by an Ice Beam. She shuddered from head to toe. "I- I can't do it. . ."

"Yes you can!"

Iris gasped and turned to see Ash running towards her.

"Ash! Where's Pikachu?" she said, still surprised that Ash had come here.

"He's with Axew, Piplup, and the others," Ash said, "I can here as soon as I can. Iris, I'm so sorry."

"Sorry? For wha-," Iris asked, but Ash interrupted her.

"For acting stupid," he said, "I didn't mean to make you think you couldn't do it. It was just, I was afraid of. . .loosing you."

_"He was afraid of loosing me?" _Iris thought as her heart pounded as her legs grew weak.

"But now I know," Ash said, standing tall and looking into Iris' eyes, "That in order to win, you need to know that we're all with you! Especially me! Don't listen to what Matthais says, because I know that you know Dragon-types more than anybody! It'll be you who stops Matthais and saves everyone, because you and Dragonite are a perfect team!"

Iris stared at Ash for a few seconds, then she grabbed him in a tight hug.

"Ash! Thank you! You have no idea what that means to me!" Iris said through a few joyful tears.

Ash felt his entire body heat up, and it wasn't only from Iris' body heat. He gently wrapped his arms around Iris' waist. "No problem Iris," he said with a smile.

The two Trainers just looked at each other for a moment.

"Iris. . ." Ash said nervously, his palms sweating and his body trembling. Iris just stared back at him with those big brown eyes. Ash gulped and said, "I. . .I. . . "

_"And now, the first match of the semifinals, Matthais vs Iris," _Freddy said in a subdued voice, which was subdued yet again by the closed door.

Iris nodded, "Well, that's me."

The Trainer broke of from their hug as the contestant door opened.

"What was it you were gonna say, Ash?" Iris asked.

Ash's heart kicked into overdrive. "Uh-uh- I'll see you after the battle. . .when you win," he said, giving a smile and thumbs up.

Iris smiled back, and walked out into the arena.

_"You idiot! Why didn't you tell her! You may never get the chance now!" _A voice in Ash's head shouted.

"I _will _get the chance," Ash replied softly as he walked back towards the stands, "Because Iris _will_ win this. I've gotta have faith in her. We all have to"

Meanwhile, Iris walked confidently, albeit a bit shakily, into the arena, where Matthais was already waiting for her with a sinister smile.

* * *

_And so, Paul has fallen, and now it is Iris' turn to face Matthais. Is Ash right in believing that Iris has what it takes to emerge victorious? Can Iris prove herself as an aspiring Dragon Master to be? What does Matthais have planned for Iris? The answers will arrive next time, so stay tuned!_

**TO BE CONTINUED. . .**


	6. Chapter 6

**Terror at the Pokemon World Tournament**

**Chapter Six: The Semifinals- Matthais vs Iris**

_After Paul's terrifying defeat, Matthais has move on to the semifinals along with Ash, Trip, and Iris. And now, after some heartfelt encouragement from Ash, Iris must battle with Matthais for her very life._

* * *

Iris walked confidently, albeit a bit shakily, into the arena, where Matthais was already waiting for her with a sinister smile.

"You've. . . intrigued me. . ." Matthais said.

"Hmm. . . ?" Iris said with a straight face.

"I didn't think you had much potential, but in fact, you do. . . ." Matthais said as he casually ran his left hand through his black hair.

"Oh really?" Iris said, sounding pissed off.

"Yes. . .your bond with your Pokemon is strong. You are just not dedicated enough to be a true Dragon Master. . .no focus. . ."

"What do you mean _no focus!_"

Matthais laughed aloud, "An Excadrill? And Emolga? Really? A true Dragon Master would focus all their energy on Dragon-types. All these pointless distractions-."

"Hold on!" Iris shouted, "Excadrill and Emolga are not pointless distractions-."

"If you didn't want to be a Dragon Master, they wouldn't be!" Matthais shouted back, "But you want to be a _Dragon Master! _Wake up! You need to unlock your incredible potential! _You are wasting it! You need to commit your entire being to-."_

"I'm tired of your attitude! You think you're so much better than everyone!" Iris shouted, "You have your way with bonding with Pokemon, and I have mine!"

"Then show me your skills in Dragon-type training, weakling!" Matthais shouted.

Iris growled and three her Pokeball, "Dragonite, let's go!"

Dragonite came out and roared.

Matthais smiled, and he threw his Pokeball, "Samurott, it's time to duel!"

The huge Pokemon appeared in a flash and stood proud.

* * *

Ash ran into the stand. His friends and rivals were already there, and Axew was with Pikachu, Riolu, and Eevee. He looked really nervous, but Pikachu was doing his best to reassure him.

"Iris is going to win!" Ash said strongly.

Everyone looked over at him.

"Ash, are you sure-?" Misty began, but Ash cut her off.

"_She is going to win!_" Ash repeated, "If we want Iris to win, we have to believe in her we everything we got! Iris is going to win!" Ash then leaned out and shouted, "You can do it, Iris! You're going to win!"

"YES!" Burgundy shouted, "Do it for Georgia! You're best rival! Do it so you can have that ultimate battle with her!"

"Do it for Paul too!" Dawn added, "Give him a change to prove that he changed!"

"Do it for _yourself,_ Iris!" Ash shouted, "Prove that you're a Dragon Master!"

"That's right! Have a battle to be proud of!" Cilan added.

All of the Pokemon cheered as well as the group of friends and rivals cheered Iris on.

* * *

"READY? BEGIN!"

"Our friends are right behind us, Dragonite!" Iris said, "We can do it!"

"You can't cling to your friends to always help you! They may encourage you, but in the end, it is your own power that grants you victory! They can't give you their power!" Matthais shouted.

"You're wrong! You're always wrong!" Iris shouted back.

"Blind fool! Samurott, slay that dragon!"

Samurott unsheathed both his seamitars and ran in for a double Razor Shell.

"Dodge- _no-Ice Beam!_" Iris shouted.

Dragonite fired an Ice Beam at Samurotts blades, freezing his front limbs and stopping the attack.

Dragonite turned to smile at Iris.

"That's your style! You don't like dodging, so we'll just go with a strong offense!" Iris said with a smile.

"Interesting. . ." Matthais said.

"I learned this from Cilan and Chili! _A good offense is the best defense!_" Iris cheered.

"You do understand you Dragon-type. . .however. . ._We _are more powerful than you!" Matthais said, while pointing.

Samurott broke free and roared.

"Go now, Samurott!" Matthais shouted.

Samurott used Aqua Jet to fly towards Dragonite.

"Freeze him solid with Ice Beam!" Iris said.

Dragonite let out a blast of ice energy that froze Samurott within his watery attack.

"Gotcha!" Iris said triumphantly.

"I obviously foresaw that attack, you fool!" Matthais said, "Now strike Dragonite down!"

Almost instantly, Samurott burst out of the ice, his horn glowing white. The Mega Horn attack connected right in Dragonite's chest, sending him sprawling.

"Dragonite!" Iris gasped.

"His Multiscale ability saved him," Matthais commented dryly.

Iris groaned, and said, "Dragonite, use Dragon Rush!"

Dragonite go up, growled, and flew toward Samurott bathed in blue fire.

"Samurott! Shoe him how pathetic that attack really is!" Matthais shouted.

Samurott withdrew his seamitars and made a Razor Shell **"X" **of protection in front of him. Dragonite crashed into the Razors Shells attacks, causing an explosion. When the dust faded, Dragonite stood panting in front of a steadfast Samurott.

"No way!" Iris gasped.

Samurott then fired an Ice Beam at the panting Dragonite, freezing the top half of his body.

"Ah! Dragonite!" Iris shouted.

"Now what are you going to do?" Matthais said with a smirk.

Iris looked towards Dragonite, "Break free! Don't let them beat us! Let's do it right now!"

The ice around Dragonite's head glowed red, and then it exploded as a Flamethrower attack shot towards Samurott.

"That's right! We'll show him!" Iris cheered.

"Very good," Matthais said, "Dragonite has some connection to you, and has some strength. But he's still no way near _our _strength. Your Flamethrower did practically nothing to Samurott."

Indeed, Samurott easily shook of Dragonite's Flamethrower.

"Well then, how about an attack that can hurt you! Dragonite!" Iris shouted.

Dragonite's raised a fist, which sparked with electricity, and he launched a Thunder Punch.

"Make it backfire!" Matthais shouted.

Samurott sent out a Water Pulse which formed around Dragonite's Thunder Punch. The Water Pulse glowed like a light-bulb from the electricity trapped inside. Then, it exploded, knocking Dragonite flat.

The crowd all gasped in shock from the stunning move.

"I don't believe it. . ." Iris gasped.

"Slay the dragon!" Matthais ordered.

Samurott jumped up and prepared to attack with a double Razor Shell.

"DRAGONITE!" Iris shouted.

Dragonite's eyes snapped open just in time to see the attack and dodge it.

"Pursue! Pursue!" Matthais shouted.

Samurott followed after Dragonite, swinging his seamitars.

"That's right, Dragonite! Keep it up!" Iris called out.

Dragonite dodged three more swings, and then took to the air.

"Don't let your opponent get away!" Matthais shouted.

Samurott used Aqua Jet to zoom up to Dragonite.

"Don't stop! Run him down, Dragonite!" Iris shouted.

Dragonite continued to dodge the attacks in mid-air.

"He seems to dodge just fine," Matthais said.

"I know," Iris said, "but ya see, Dragonite knows that there's no shame in dodging, and that I won't think any less of him if he doesn't take every attack. And plus, he knows that he can trust me when I tell him when to dodge! In fact, I don't even have to say 'dodge'!"

"You think you're approaching my level?!" Matthais said, almost offended, "Just because he used Flamethrower and can move around on his own!? Maybe your connection has grown, but it is nothing compared to the bonds between my Pokemon!"

"Doesn't matter! Dragonite and I will still win! Dragon Rush!"

Dragonite flew behind Samurott and hit him with a full force Dragon Rush. Samurott shouted in pain and fell to the ground.

"It's time for our own 'Special Move!' Crushing Thunder Punch!" Iris shouted, while pointing down at Samurott.

Dragonite roared and went into a steep dive, holding his Electrically charged fist out. It connected right with the back of Samurott's head, and plunged him down into the ground with an explosion.

There was a tremendous gasp from the audience.

The smoke cleared, and Dragonite stood by Samurott, who lay still on the ground.

* * *

"She won. . ." Burgundy whispered, then she smiled and shouted, "SHE WON! YES!"

Axew began jumping up and down excitedly, cheering loudly.

"I knew it! See! I told you she'd win!" Ash said with a smile.

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu cheered as Riolu and Eevee hugged each other with joy.

"Wow. . .Iris sure was strong," Virgil said.

"It's finally over," May sighed.

"An thunderous ending to a super storm of a battle," Cilan said.

* * *

Iris smiled, and looked up at Matthais, who had a straight face.

"Well?" she said triumphantly.

"You were a worthy opponent," Matthais said, "Not as good as Ash, but still a worthy opponent. However, I'm afraid you are not at the level of Dragon Master. Your connection to your Dragon-types isn't strong enough. Your hearts aren't one. You're just letting your Pokemon, who is used to battling alone, make his own decisions based on your tone and body language."

"I don't know what your problem is," Iris said, "I beat you. It's all over. Georgia, Paul, and their Pokemon are all free. As well as any other lives you've destroyed!"

Matthais smirked, "Samurott."

All of a sudden, Samurott's head shot up, and shot a huge Water Pulse at Dragonite that trapped him in a huge bubble of water that floated in mid air.

The crowd gasped even louder as Iris stood shocked still.

"It's been fun, but now I must assert _our_ victory!" Matthais shouted, "Special move! **_FROZEN DEATH_ _BALL_!**"

Samurott suddenly jumped up with his horn glowing with blue energy. He plunged his horn into the bubble of water, immediately freezing it solid all the way through. Samurott then extracted his horn, drew his seamitars, and slashed at the huge ice ball.

There was a tremendous crash combined with a huge explosions. Dragonite was thrown onto the ground, lying still and covered with a thin film of frost.

"No. . .no. . .NO!" Iris screamed, eyes filled with tears.

Matthais looked Iris in the eyes, "So. . .you want to be a Dragon Master. . ."

He shook his head.

"You failed the test, Iris. . ."

A shard of ice shot out of Samurott's horn and appeared to pass right through Iris. The breath caught in her throat as she fell to her knees, her eyes rolling upwards. . .

"IRIS!"

Ash had jumped out of the stands, and was running towards Iris as fast as he could. As soon as he reached her, she took her up into his arms. To his horror, she was freezing cold. He hugged her close, in an attempt to warm her. He rubbed her back and arms and said, "Iris! Are you alright!? Say something!"

"A-A-A-Ash?" Iris stammered, her teeth chattering, "I'm s-s-s-so cold. . ."

"It's okay Iris, I'm here!" Ash said desperately.

"A-A-Ash. . .I'm s-s-sorry I l-lost, I. . ."

"It's okay! You and Dragonite were awesome!"

"Ash. . ."

"Iris, stay with me," Ash said, shaking from fear as well as Iris' cold body, "Listen, Iris. . .I-I-I love you Iris. You're funny, adventurous, you love Pokemon, you're nice, always got a good attitude, you never give up, and I think you're really pretty Iris. I like your hair, I. . ."

Ash nearly stopped breathing as he realized that Iris lay in his arms, unmoving, with her eyes closed, and covered with white frost.

"No. . .Iris. . ." Ash whispered. Tears fell from his eyes as he held Iris as close to him as possible.

_**"IRIS!"**_

* * *

_Iris has become Matthais' newest victim. So now, it will either be Ash or Trip who will face Matthais next. Will Ash defeat Trip in order to face off against Matthais and avenge Iris? Or will Ash have to bottle up his rage and watch a battle between Matthais and Trip? It's Ash vs Trip next! Stay tuned!_

**TO BE CONTINUED. . .**


	7. Chapter 7

**Terror at the Pokemon World Tournament**

**Chapter Seven: The Semifinals- Ash vs Trip**

_In a heart-wrenching turn of events, Matthais has crushed Dragonite and struck down Iris with an icy attack. No, it is time for a battle between Ash and Trip to determine who will be Matthais' final opponent._

* * *

Ash stood over Iris, who lay motionless on the clean, white hospital bed. Axew lay right by her side, hugging her arm as tightly as he could as he sobbed quietly. Pikachu looked sadly from Ash, to Iris, to Axew, and then back to Ash.

"You were. . .so awesome Iris," Ash said quietly, "When you had Dragonite use that final attack, how you encouraged him to break free, and dodge, and fight back. . ." Ash closed his eyes and rubbed away his tears, and he continued, "You and Dragonite, and all your Pokemon. . Iris. . ."

Ash put a hand on Iris' shoulder. He then couldn't resist the urge to run his other hand through her hair.

"You _are_ a Dragon Master," he said finally.

Ash then took away his hands, and then placed one on Axew, who stopped crying and looked up at him.

"_I am_ going to defeat Matthais, whatever it takes," Ash said, looking seriously at Axew, "Matthais' is not going to get away with this."

* * *

Ash, along with Pikachu, left the room and back where the others were waiting for him.

They were all quiet.

"I'm _gonna_ defeat Matthais," Ash said, giving a hard nod, "I'm _gonna _save Iris."

"Get serious!"

Everyone turned to see Trip glaring at Ash.

"You couldn't possibly defeat Matthais," Trip said flatly, "But _I _will."

Ash gave Trip a death glare, clenching his teeth and his fists.

"I understand you want to avenge your girlfriend," Trip said with a slight smirk, "But _really,_ do you honestly think you're strong enough to beat someone like Matthais. Lucky for all of us, I just have to defeat you to get to Matthais."

"_Trip,_" Bianca said with an uncharacteristically angry tone of voice.

"It doesn't matter who defeats Matthais. My victory is your victory," Trip said quickly, "Besides, Paul _is_ my friend after all. I'd like to be able to say that I was strong enough to beat Matthais and save him, and everyone else for that matter."

"Ash can beat you!" Misty shouted.

"Of course he can! Just watch!" May added.

"Yeah! Ash will show you! And then he'll beat Matthais and be the hero! Go Ash!" Bianca shouted.

"Hold on," Ash said, holding a hand up for them to stop.

Ash then turned to Trip, and cracked a smile. "You're right."

"_WHAT!?_" Bianca shouted.

Ash continued, "All that matters is that Matthais loses and everyone he hurt gets better. I don't _need_ the glory of being the one who beat him. You're good friends with Paul and want to impress him by taking down Matthais." Ash looked down thoughtfully, "But I _love_ Iris, but kept it a secret for too long. I can't loose her, not ever, and I want to be her hero."

Ash hitched his smile back up, and he held a hand out, "But still, as long as someone defeats Matthais, our friends will come back. But if we want him defeated, we better fight with all we have and not hold back a thing so that the strongest Trainer can fight him, because nothing less then the strongest can defeat Matthais. So lets give it our all, Trip!"

Trip looked at Ash, his kind smile and eyes fill of determination.

_'I have to admit,' _Trip thought, letting a smile break through, _'Ash is quite the Trainer.'_

Trip shook Ash's hand.

"Hang on, where _is _Matthais?" Stephan asked.

"I don't know, but I don't think I could stomach his presence right now," Cilan said coldly.

"That goes double for me," Brock added.

Meanwhile, Burgundy stood in the background, wringing her hands.

* * *

"And now, for the final battle of the Semifinals!" Freddy announced, "Trip vs Ash!"

The Trainers walked into the arena, ready for battle.

"The winner of this battle will be the one go up against our finalist, Matthais!"

Trip and Ash made eye contact, filled to the brim with determination.

"Conkeldurr! You're up!" Trip called out as he threw his Pokeball.

"Boldore! I choose you!" Ash called out as he threw his Pokeball as well.

The two Pokemon glared at each other, ready to fight.

"Ready?!"

Trip narrowed his eyes, "Ash, me and Conkeldurr are not going to go down easily."

Ash nodded with a smile, "That's what I hoped. . ." Ash then suddenly turned serious and hardened his gaze, "But for Iris' sake, Boldore and I aren't gonna go down _at all!_"

"BEGIN!"

"Boldore, use Flash Cannon!" Ash called out.

Boldore sent out a silver energy blast at Conkeldurr.

"Block it!" Trip called out.

Conkeldurr used his concrete pillars to block the attack.

"Use Strength!"

Conkeldurr ran at Boldore, swinging his concrete pillars.

"Stop him with Rock Blast!" Ash shouted.

Boldore sent out sent silver energy blasts that slammed into Conkeldurr's pillars. Conkeldurr was knocked slightly of balance.

"Now use Rock Smash!" Ash called out.

Boldore's front legs turned red, and he slammed them into Conkeldurr's chest.

* * *

"Alright! Go Ash!" Misty shouted.

"Pika! Pika!" Pikachu cheered as Riolu and Eevee jumped up and down.

"Be careful, Ash. But still trust those famous Ash instincts!" Cilan called out.

* * *

Trip growled and pointed, "Don't take that from him! Use Bulk Up!"

Conkeldurr flexed as his muscles increased in size.

"Now use Rock Tomb!" Trip called.

A huge rock appeared in Conkeldurr's hands and he threw it. It broke apart and surrounded Boldore.

"Aw man!" Ash shouted.

"Now jump! Then use Stone Edge!"

Conkeldurr jumped and fired Stone Edge into Boldore's tomb.

"Boldore!" Ash shouted, "It's time for a Counter Shield!"

Boldore nodded, and jumped up and down, unleashing a swirling vortex of sand.

"What the-? How did Boldore know about Counter Shields? And how could Sandstorm be a shield?" Trip said in shock and confusion.

The Stone Edge met the Sandstorm and swirled around within it.

"What the heck?!" Trip gasped as the Stone Edge was sent back right into Conkeldurr.

Conkeldurr cried out in pain and covered his eyes as the Sandstorm ran into him as well.

"Use Rock Blast!" Ash shouted.

Conkeldurr jumped out of the Rock Tomb and fired Rock Blasts.

"Counter with Stone Edge!" Trip called out.

The Stone Edge crashed into the Rock Blast, going straight through and hitting Boldore hard.

"Follow it with Strength!"

Conkeldurr ran forward with his pillars.

"Dodge it!" Ash shouted.

"To late!" Trip said.

Boldore was hit in hard by the attack and knocked on its side.

"Now's your chance to Bulk Up!"

As Conkeldurr's muscles pumped up, Ash was shouting to Boldore.

"Get up, please! Don't give up! We can do this together!" Ash called out.

"Now use Rock Tomb!" Trip ordered.

Boldore struggled a bit as the massive rock broke apart and surrounded him.

"Boldore, you have to get up! Please!" Ash shouted.

"Stone Edge!" Trip called.

Conkeldurr sent out Stone Edge at the entombed Boldore.

Boldore got up slowly, only to get pelted by the Stone Edge.

"Ah! Boldore!" Ash gasped.

"Keep it up, Conkeldurr!" Trip shouted.

Conkeldurr continued to launch Stone Edges at Boldore like a rapid fire machine gun.

* * *

"Oh no! Ash is in trouble!" May gasped.

"How can Boldore stand it?" Max piped up.

"It's Sturdy," Brock said.

"Yes, that ability allows Boldore to withstand strong attacks, but not for long. . ." Cilan said.

"Come on, Ash! Don't loosed heart!" Misty called out.

"Do it for Iris!" Bianca shouted.

"You and Boldore are united in this battle! Remember that Counter Shield!" Dawn yelled.

* * *

"That's right!" Ash gasped.

"What's right? That you're going to loose!" Trip shouted, "Conkeldurr will pound Boldore into submission with Stone Edge!"

"No," Ash said softly then he looked up and said, "Boldore! Like with all my Pokemon, I'm not only your Trainer, but also your friend. That's why you're strong! Pokemon strength is built by trust!"

Boldore groaned as he strained against the Stone Edge.

"That's how we did that Counter Shield. We trusted and understood each other! It's trust and friendship that makes us powerful!" Ash shouted, "Battling Team Rocket, saving the Audino, battling Clay! I'd say we're stronger than Trip or Matthais, because we're friends!"

Boldore stood up against the onslaught of Stone Edges, his eyes glowing red.

"What's this?" Trip gasped.

"You've proved you're Sturdy, now let's show them you're strong! Rock Smash!" Ash shouted, thrusting his fist forward.

Boldore growled as his front leg turned red. He thrusted it forward through the Stone Edge and smashed through the Rock Tomb.

"Go now!" Ash shouted.

"Boldore's way too weak!" Trip shouted confidently, "Finish him with Strength!"

Conkeldurr ran forward, holding his concrete pillars high.

Boldore ran towards Conkeldurr as well.

"We'll win, and prove Matthais wrong!" Ash shouted, unaware of the faint blue glow around his body, only barely visible beneath the stadium spot lights. That same glow was also emanating around Boldore as well. You couldn't see it unless you were specifically looking for it.

Like Matthais was. . .

* * *

Matthais stood in the upper stands, staring at Ash and Boldore.

"Their auras are burning bright as one, what power," Matthais said, but he smirked and said, "Not very bright. Because Trip isn't so great. He'd probably loose the qualifying rounds in the Unova League. Anyway, Ash's aura will glow brightly when he faces me."

* * *

"ROCK SMASH!" Ash shouted.

Boldore's red legs thrusted right at Conkeldurr's pillars.

_SMASH!_

There was a tremendous gasp from the audience as Trip stood as stiff as a statue, staring at the scene before him.

Conkeldurr stood with a gaping expression, his hands empty as his concrete pillars lay smashed to pieces on the ground.

"Flash Cannon," Ash said.

Conkeldurr was thrown backwards by the silver beam of energy and fell down flat, unconscious.

"Conkeldurr is unable to battle! Boldore and Ash win!"

The crowd exploded as Ash ran up to Boldore and the pair rolling and hugging affectionately.

Trip stood still, his face a mask of shock, almost fear.

"I don't believe-," Trip began, but then he breathed in and out, and smiled, "Actually, I do." Trip held out his Pokeball, "Return Conkeldurr, you did great. We'll get new pillars made for you later." Conkeldurr was drawn back in.

* * *

"Pika-pi!" Pikachu shouted as he jumped up to hug Ash. Ash laughed and caught him in his arms.

"That was amazing, Ash!" Misty almost squealed.

"Boldore became so powerful!" Virgil said, "How did you do it?"

"Friendship and trust, something Matthais doesn't understand," Ash said, "That's why I know I can win."

"You better win, Ash," Trip said with a rigid nod, "For them, and for us! You've earned my respect, Ash. I don't want to see my rival fail."

"He won't fail!" Bianca said, then she turned to Ash, "We're all counting on you Ash. Um, no pressure!"

"Well, duh! Of course, no pressure!" Cameron added, "Well be cheering you on!"

Riolu and Eevee smiled and nodded.

Burgundy nodded, and she put an arm on Ash's shoulder, "Crush him, Ash. For Georgia."

"_And _for Paul and Iris and their Pokemon!" Dawn added.

"I second that!" Stephan said as Brock, Max, and Cilan nodded.

"Don't worry you guys," Ash said with a determined gaze and a nod, "I will."

Ash turned to see Matthais standing in the doorway with a smile.

Ash growled lowly, and pointed at Matthais, "It's all over Matthais! Because I'm going to stop you! I won't let you hurt anyone else anymore!"

* * *

_And so, with a decisive victory over Trip by Ash, the final battle is about to occur! Matthais vs Ash, which promises to be one of the toughest battles Ash will ever face, and the stakes could never be higher! Does Ash have the power and strength he needs? Stay tuned!_

**TO BE CONTINUED. . . .**


	8. Chapter 8

**Terror at the Pokemon World Tournament**

**Chapter Eight: The World Champion- Ash or Matthais?**

_After an epic battle between Ash and Trip, Ash's Boldore triumphed over Trip's Conckeldurr by tapping into the power of Pokemon and Trainer. Now, the final battle is approaching, and the final confrontation between Ash and Matthais is beginning!_

* * *

Ash growled lowly, and pointed at Matthais, "It's all over Matthais! Because I'm going to stop you! I won't let you hurt anyone else anymore!"

Matthais took a few steps towards Ash, with a serious look on his face. "Ash," he said, "Do you know why I set up this tournament?"

"Why?" Ash said shortly.

"Because I wanted to fight you while you were at the height of your strength," Matthais answered, "And you know what else?"

When Ash didn't answer, Matthais continued.

"I despise you. I loath you. And that's because you are so _ignorant_ of your own power!" Matthais pointed at Pikachu, "Look! How long have you been training that Pikachu? And yet you won't evolve it into a Raichu! Imagine the power it would posses as a Raichu. And your other Pokemon! Snivy and Oshawott! They should be fully evolved by now! You don't train to evolve them! You're training contains their strength! Do you realize that most of the battles you've won were due to your Pokemon evolving during the battle? But enough about your Pokemon, let's talk about yourself! You posses the power of Aura, like that of Sir Aaron! Let you refuse to harness the power of Aura Manipulation! You need not follow the way of an Aura Guardian! You merely need to hone your Aura skills! Imagine the power you could have!"

Matthais snapped his fingers, "You could reduce those idiots from Team Rocket into black marks on the ground!" Matthais snapped his fingers again, "You could've obliterated Team Galactic simply by raising one hand!" Matthais snapped his fingers a third time, "You could've crushed Giovanni and taken the Reveal Glass for yourself! But then again, you wouldn't have needed to is you has simply _caught_ Meloetta, or Kyurem, or Zekrom, or the Swords of Justice, or Latios and Latias, or Celebi, or Mew, or Shaymin, or _any _of the Legendary Pokemon you've encountered!"

Matthais stopped his rant suddenly and smiled, "But then again, you didn't even need to catch them, isn't that right _Chosen One_."

Matthais smirked as he saw the shocked expressions on Ash's, Misty's, and Brock's faces.

"Oh yes, I know about that," Matthais said, "That's how I found out about you Ash, by studying the prophecies. You stopped Lawrence III from stealing the Legendary Birds. And when their fighting nearly destroyed the world, you aided Lugia in saving it."

Matthais chuckled, and took something out of his pocket.

It was an Ancient Mew Card.

"Lawrence III. . .what a fool," Matthais said, and he returned the card to his pocket, "Anyway, when I found you, I realized that if I defeated you and claimed your soul as my own, then your rite would become mine. All the Pokemon of the world would be driven to obey me. But if I wanted to be sure of this, I had to make sure you were at top strength. So, I didn't go after you right away. Instead, I had your progress monitored and documented by Silph Co. Yes, it is through that wealthy company that I have so much influence. Ash, you let me down. All those Legendary Pokemon, and you sought to claim none as your own. You could've recreated this world in your own image. Yet you were too naive and innocent to do so. And what's worse, you never sought to destroy your enemies. You saw how cruel Paul was. How come you never sent your Pikachu to attack him and confiscate his Pokemon for yourself? They would've been happy at Professor Oak's lab. Even when Team Rocket and Dr. Zeagar were attempting to steal your Pokemon, it never occurred to you to attack to train or helicopter and watch them die the fiery deaths they deserve. So, all in all, you're weak Ash. You're soft. You don't comprehend the power within you. However, now that you are angry, and willing to fight with all your might, I shall take your power and your destiny, and take control of the world of Pokemon myself. Something you should've done a long time ago."

Matthais folded his arms as Ash stared at him with a fearful expression on his face. He smirked as he saw how Ash seemed to lean back from him, almost in terror. But then, in a blink of an eye, Ash's expression changed from fear to intense anger.

And then, Ash's fist slammed into Matthais' stomach.

The people in the room either gasped, screamed, or were speechless as Matthais' eyes bulged out and he stumbled backwards, doubled over in pain as he fought to breath. After a tense few seconds, Matthais straightened himself up and looked up at Ash, who's fist was still clenched and his expression still angry.

"That's stupid!" Ash shouted, "That's the stupidest stuff I've ever heard!"

Ash breathed in and out quickly a few times, partially out of breath himself, and he continued, "First of all, there's more to a Pokemon's strength that evolving them. Pikachu defeated a Raichu once! And besides, if true Pokemon power comes through trust, then how could I break that trust by forcing him to evolve! That's right! Pikachu doesn't want to evolve, and he doesn't need to! I like my Pokemon for who they are! Weather they evolve or not doesn't matter! That's not why they're important to me!"

Ash paused for a moment and looked down, "And yeah, I guess I can do things with Aura. But I don't feel that using Aura is what I'm meant to do. Maybe I could learn to control Aura and be a Pokemon Master, but maybe I couldn't. Maybe that'll come to me in the future. But I think I should just leave it for when I need it. I don't understand it, so I don't wanna mess with it."

Ash glared at Matthais and said, "But you would just go around destroying everyone in your way. I'd never do that."

"Don't you believe evil should be destroyed?" Matthais gasped out as he held his stomach with both hands, still managing to smile despite the pain.

Ash growled with frustration, "I believe that if someone does wrong, they should get what they deserve, but I don't think I'm the one who should decide that." Ash sighed, "I don't. . .really ever. . . hate anyone. . .I do sometimes. . .but those people hurt Pokemon and other people. Pokemon and people who were my friends. But still, I never wanted to destroy them. I helped stop them, but I let the right people take care of them. I'd liked it better if they changed, like Paul did. But if you had been me, you would've made sure he had never gotten that chance."

Ash looked at Matthais straight in the eye and said, "It's not my place to murder people. And the prophecy? Sure, I fulfilled it. Lugia and I saved the world. I admit it. But I don't care about being some 'Chosen One.' It kinda embarrasses me just to say that. I don't think I'm better than anyone else. And I _really_ don't think I have the right to try and steal Legendary Pokemon for myself. They should never be captured. Meloetta, Celebi, Mew, Shaymin, Keldeo, all of them! They're part of this world and keep it wonderful. They're my friends, but I could never capture them! Because if I did capture them, and tried using them to 'take over the world' or whatever you said, then I'd be no better than Lawrence III, the King of Pokelantis, Hunter J, Grings Kodai, Giovanni, _**OR YOU!**_"

Ash shouted the last to words at the top his lungs. His heart was pumping and his face was red. Ash and Matthais stared at one another for a few seconds. Then Matthais smiled.

"Very good," he said, "You oppose me with everything you have. So, when I defeat you, the draining of your energy, and your soul, will be total. I will have all your power, and without your foolish moral and scruples holding it back, it can be used to bring order to the world. Well, the Final Battle begins a few minutes. I suggest you hurry down to meet me on the battlefield. See you later."

Matthais then turned and walked away.

Ash just stared after Matthais as he walked away.

"Ash. . ." Misty said nervously.

Ash turned around to face the group behind him. He breathed in and out through his nose, and smiled. "It's fine," he said, "He's not gonna get to me. . . I'm gonna win." Ash then looked to where Pikachu was perched on his shoulder, "_We're_ gonna win. Right buddy!"

Pikachu nodded, "Pi-pikachu!"

Ash then turned and left the room.

"We believe in you, Ash!" Misty called out.

"Take this sucker down!" Cameron shouted.

"Do it for Iris!" Dawn said.

"Show Matthais who's boss!" Bianca cheered.

"Don't screw this up, Ash!" Trip shouted.

"Make it a battle for the history books of eternity!" Cilan said.

"Eev-eev-eevee!"

"Rio-rio-lu-ri-o!"

"Piplup! Pip-pip-lup!"

The rest of his friend's shouts all followed the same pattern. Everyone shouted encouragement for the Trainer from Pallet Town, and at that moment, he felt that he was by no means walking into the battlefield alone.

* * *

Ash stood in the contestant preparation room, staring at the door in front of him. Ash could feel his hands shaking in spite of himself.

"Pika-pi. . ." Pikachu said as he leaned close to Ash's face.

Ash couldn't help but smile. He took Pikachu in his arms and held him. He looked at him eye-to-eye as he spoke, "Pikachu, all that stuff Matthais said. About being one with his Pokemon, I think there's more than one way to do that. There's his way. . .and _our_ way."

"Pika!" Pikachu replied determinedly. Ash let Pikachu jump to the floor and stand next to him, at the ready.

"All that stuff about prophecies and power and stuff doesn't matter to me!" Ash said strongly, "I just want to be a Pokemon Master! And to me, that means seeing all there is to see in the Pokemon world, and doing whatever I can to keep it an awesome place. That means if a monster like Matthais shows up, I'm not get let him hurt anyone again!"

Then the doors opened.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to the Final Match of the Pokemon World Tournament" Freddy announced.

The crowd roared with excitement.

"That's right! It all comes down to this! First, the mysterious Trainer that has complete control over Pokemon, the Trainer from Silph Co. who plays for the highest stakes, and for keeps! Matthais!"

Steam and confetti canons went off as Matthais walked out in his flowing red trench coat. There was a combination of applause, awkward cheers, and boos. The majority of the other Trainers pretty much roared abuse at him. The only ones who kept silent were Trip, Cilan, Brock, and Virgil.

"And his opponent, the Trainer from Pallet Town who's journeyed through five regions! The Trainer who will not surrender! The tenacious one! The persistent one! The headstrong and heart-strong one! Here he is! _Ash Ketchum!"_

As Ash and Pikachu walked out amid the steam and confetti, the crowd went wild with cheering and applause.

"Looks like the crowd is on our side, Pikachu!" Ash said. Pikachu nodded happily.

Both Trainers met each other on the battle field.

"Alright," Ash said, his eyes meeting Matthais'. The he pointed and said, "Pikachu, I choose you!"

"Pika-CHU!" Pikachu said as he jumped onto the field, cheeks sparking.

"Like I didn't see that coming," Matthais remarked. He then took out a Pokeball and threw it. "No matter how strong your Pikachu is, he cannot defeat my Legendary Pokemon!"

There was a flash, and a tortoise-like creature with a reddish-brown body that has orange and gray spots appeared. It had metal bangles locked on its legs and the four claws on each of its feet are in a cross formation. It had a gray underside, its face is covered by an iron mask and has red-orange eyes. Certain parts of its body appeared to be melted slightly out of shape.

"HEATRAN!" It roared.

* * *

"Heatran!" Cilan gasped, "The Fire/Steel-type Legendary Pokemon said to reside in Reversal Mountain!"

* * *

"After months of searching, I found the Magma Stone," Matthais said, "And with its power, I called upon Heatran, and claimed him as my own. And now, I will use his power to crush you, Ash Ketchum!"

"READY? BEGIN!"

"Let's get this battle started, Pikachu!" Ash said.

Pikachu nodded, and fired a Thunderbolt at Heatran.

"Waste of time," Matthais said.

Heatran roared, and a huge explosion rose around it, creating a mix of smog and fire to covered the area. The Thunderbolt hit the flames, but couldn't get through. However, gold light could be seen emanating from within the cloud of smoke. This was followed by a series of jagged cracks that raced towards where Pikachu was standing. Gold light shone through the cracks.

"That's Earth Power! Dodge it!" Ash shouted.

Pikachu jumped and rolled to one side as gold light burst through the ground right where he had been standing.

"Burn!" Matthais shouted, and Heatran released Heat Wave at Pikachu.

"That won't work! Wind can be blown away!" Ash said.

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu shouted as he extended his tail and began spinning round and round on the ground like a break dancer. When the Heat Wave approached him, it was pulled into a vortex by the circular current produced by his tail.

"What the heck?!" Matthais spat.

"Now, we can use that to our advantage! Hit him with Fire and Electric!" Ash shouted.

Pikachu charged up an Electro Ball, which combined with the swirling Heat Wave. The orange, glowing sphere grew twice Pikachu's size. Then, he released it, sending it straight at Heatran.

"Gah! Don't take that!" Matthais shouted.

Heatran spat a Lava Plume at the powered up Electro Ball. The attacks seemed to hang in mid air for a second, but then Pikachu's attacks plowed through the Lava Plume and connected with Heatran's face.

"GAH!" Matthais shouted.

Heatran was knocked back a few feet, stunned a bit.

"Go now, Pikachu! Hit him with Quick Attack!"

Pikachu ran fast towards Heatran, glowing white, and hit him directly in the face.

"Oh yeah!" Ash shouted.

"Fool!" Matthais said, "Heatran has the Hidden Ability Flame Body!"

Pikachu suddenly winced and stumbled backwards.

"Pikachu?" Ash said with concern.

To his horror, Ash saw that Pikachu's front paws were burned.

"Now, watch him suffer even more!" Matthais shouted.

Heatran glowed gold.

"Look out, Pikachu!" Ash shouted.

Pikachu saw the golden cracks approach him, but when he tried to leap away, he winched with pain and fell flat. The Earth Power exploded with golden light beneath him, sending him sprawling, drastically hurt by the super effective move.

"Pikachu! Are you okay?"

Pikachu slowly got on all fours. He was angry, and his cheeks sparked wildly. "Pi-pika-chu!"

"That's it, Pikachu!" Ash said with a smile, "Don't give up! This battle's gonna be hard, but we can still win!"

"Fool!" Matthais shouted, "Can't you see how you just failed in sending Pikachu into that Burn?! You have no rhyme, reason, or strategy in your battles! Now Heatran and I can destroy you easily!"

Ash smiled, "Well then, try it!"

Matthais growled and said, "Oh, I'll do more than try! Heatran! Burn them to ashes!"

Heatran roared, about to launch a deadly Magma Storm, when all of a sudden, he fell down and winced.

"Wh-what? Heatran!"

"Heatran's not the only one with a special Ability!" Ash said as Pikachu smiled.

Matthais realized what was happening when he saw the arcs of electricity on Heatran. "Paralyzed! That must mean-."

* * *

"It's Pikachu's Static Ability!" Cilan said.

"That's right!" Brock said, "It must of been from that Quick Attack!"

"Wow, who knew Ash would think of that!" Stephan said.

* * *

"Flame Body may have burned Pikachu, but Static's keeping Heatran from moving at all!" Ash said triumphantly.

"You little. . .you little. . .you couldn't have known this would happen!" Matthais spat out, seething with rage.

"You're wrong, Matthais! Pikachu and I were planning on this!" Ash said.

"What?"

Ash nodded. . .

* * *

_Heatran was knocked back a few feet by the Electro Ball, stunned a bit._

_For a split second, Pikachu looked back at Ash._

_They're eyes met. . ._

_"We've got to use your Static. . ." Ash thought._

_Within that second, Pikachu nodded._

_"Go now, Pikachu! Hit him with Quick Attack!"_

_Pikachu ran fast towards Heatran, glowing white, and hit him directly in the face._

* * *

"Matthais, you may be an evil jerk, but what you said about Pokemon and Trainer being one isn't so bad. So, that's how Pikachu and are gonna defeat you! As one!"

"Pika-pi!"

"Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu's Thunderbolt hit Heatran directly.

_"We lost to Tobia's Latios, but were not loosing to this monster!" _Ash thought.

"Now Electro Ball!" Ash shouted.

Pikachu jumped into the air, swung his tail, and threw an Electro Ball right in Heatran's face.

Matthais screamed with rage as Heatran was knocked onto his side, spasming in pain.

"ARRRRRHHHH! I will not loose! I will not loose! I will burn you-_ no_- melt you down into a mass of burning flesh!"

Heatran's eyes glowed red as he got back up on his feet.

"Turn this field into a lake of lava!" Matthais shouted.

The ground around Heatran exploded in the largest ever Lava Plume. The fiery wall expanded as it enveloped the entire field.

"Pikachu! Duck for cover!" Ash shouted.

Pikachu fell down to the ground and covered his face and head with his paws. The wall of fire passed over him, damaging him with searing heat. When the flames and smog died down, Pikachu found himself clinging to a one of the few remaining pieces of solid rock floating in what was now an oblong pool of lava.

Ash felt very afraid, and he knew Pikachu shared that fear.

Matthais' brown face was lit up by the glowing red lava, making it look darker and sinister. He threw off his trench coat and said, "I will not loose! It is impossible for me to loose! I deserve your destiny! I will take _NOW!"_

Matthais raised his hands, and Heatran reared up on its hind legs and glowed bright red.

"_**Special Move: Apocalyptic Lava Power!"**_

Matthais brought his hands down, and Heatran slammed his feet into the lava, sending a series of columns of lava bursting out of the ground. The path of columns were headed straight for Pikachu.

"PIKACHU!" Ash shouted at the top of his lungs.

The audience gasped, and many had to look away as Pikachu disappeared in the flames.

"YES! The old world shall no perish, and with the power Aura, and the destiny of the Chosen One, I shall create a new world built on the ashes of the old, which will have buried Ash Ketchum deep beneath!" Matthais shouted as his eyes blazed as hot as the fires around him.

* * *

"This can't be. . ." Misty gasped, "This can't be the end."

Eevee and Riolu were all crying, but both their Trainers, even Cameron, were paralyzed with shock.

Piplup was weeping as well, and Dawn held him tight as tears fell from her eyes as well.

Trip appeared to be lost in thought. Then, he stood up, "Well, it's time for Ash to finish this now."

Everyone stared at Trip for a moment. Then, they all followed his gaze back into the arena.

* * *

Matthais smiled madly as he looked at Ash, who's cap covered his eyes at the moment.

"Well?" Matthais said.

Ash replied, "You're never gonna understand what real trust is like. . ." Ash then looked up, with eyes strong an grin triumphant, "So you'll probably never understand how Pikachu and I have won here today!"

Matthais's eyes widened as Ash began to glow brightly with Aura.

And with that, the lava plumes went down, revealing that atop a floating piece of rock, there was Pikachu, spinning round and round, releasing bolts of electricity that formed a cage of small Thunderbolts around him and the piece of rock. Globs of lava dripped off the lightning cage, unable to get through the shield that suspended both the mouse and rock in mid-air. Pikachu too, was glowing with Aura.

* * *

"A miniature Counter Shield!" Dawn gasped in wonder.

* * *

Matthais' whole world seemed to break. He stood there, staring, eyes twitching.

"My special move. . .my special move. . ." he whispered.

"Pikachu and I knew just what to do to make it, didn't we Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Pika!" he replied as he stopped spinning and lowered his Counter Shield.

Both Pokemon and Trainer smiled.

"So," Ash said, and he looked at his glowing, blue hands, "Now that our hearts and Aura's are one, let's finish this! Jump!"

Pikachu jumped into the air and spun above Heatran and the field of lava.

"Electro Ball and Iron Tail!" Ash shouted,

"W-what?" Matthais stammered out as Pikachu powered up the two moves simultaneously.

Ash closed his eyes for a moment, then he opened them and looked right up at Pikachu.

Pikachu looked back at him.

"_Special Move," _Ash said, "**_Electro Iron Tail!"_**

"N-no!" Matthais shouted.

Pikachu fell down to Earth, and his Electro Iron Tail slammed down onto Heatran. Heatran was pushed down deep into the lava, creating a huge wave of fire that towered over Matthais and headed his way.

"HOW CAN I LOOSE TO THIS NAIVE CHILD WHO DOESN'T EVEN UNDERSTAND THE FULL EXTENT OF HIS POWER AND DOESN'T DESERVE- AAAAAAACK- I'M UNDONE!"

Matthais was finally silenced as the lava crashed down on him.

From beneath Pikachu, there was a tremendous explosion that sent smog throughout the entire arena. After a moment of thick tension, the smog cleared away. What was revealed was a slightly lumpy battle field of glass. The intense power of Pikachu's attacks had solidified all of the lava in an instant.

Pikachu stood panting heavily as he stood on the relatively smooth surface, his blue Aura fading along with Ash's as their in sync breathing patterns slowed down to normal.

Up in the commentator's booth, Freddy stood with wide eyes and a mouth hanging open at what he just witnessed. However, he soon managed to find his voice.

"So. . .the winner of the Pokemon World Tournament. . .the World Champion. . .is. . ."

Ash's picture appeared on the screen.

"ASH KETCHUM!"

The crowd seemed to explode with cheering with the force of a thousand Explosions. Confetti and balloons fell from the sky. Pikachu soon found himself in Ash' arms, being spun around as he and Ash laughed together with intense excitement and accomplishment in their hearts.

Ash gently set Pikachu down and scratched him behind the ear. Pikachu smiled, enjoying the feeling.

"We did, Pikachu. . ." Ash said, "After all we've been through together. . .I knew we could do it. . ." Ash smiled at his Pokemon, no, _his friend._ They had won this victory together. Now the people and Pokemon Matthais had hurt could-.

Ash gasped, "Iris!"

Ash quickly got up and ran to the door. Pikachu go up to follow behind him. . .but something held him back. Pikachu turned around, and what he saw nearly terrified him.

There, on the field, stood the transparent, almost phantom-like figures of Matthais' Pokemon. Samurott, Zebstrika, Hydreigon, even Heatran. They all stood there, looking at Pikachu with grateful looking smiles.

Pikachu turned to look at the audience, who were busy talking and looking around. Could they see these Pokemon? Could only _he_ see them?

Pikachu turned back and looked at Heatran, who stood at the front of the group.

_"You have released us. . ."_ came a voice from Heatran.

Pikachu's ears shot up at the voice.

Heatran smiled wider, and bowed his head to Pikachu.

_"Thank you. . .you have save me once again. . ."_

Pikachu's eyes widened. That's right, Marcus, he thought.

And with that, the four Pokemon seemed to dissolve into light. Whether they were ascending to some other realm or simply teleporting to their home, Pikachu couldn't tell. However, as the Pokemon faded, the light seemed to fold in on itself, forming a small sphere. Pikachu's heart leapt as the the sphere floated towards him. He knew what it was. It was a Light Ball. Pikachu held a paw out as the valuable object moved towards him. The moment it settled into the palm of his paw, it seemed to melt into his body, and fill him with a new power that seemed to fortify his very being.

Pikachu just stood there for a moment, taking in what had happened, but then he remembered Ash and the rest of his friends, and quickly scampered off to where Iris lay. Pikachu winced from the burns on his paws, but he knew he could be restored at the Pokemon Center soon enough.

* * *

_And so, victory! Victory at last! The Sun has finally risen, and the evil has gone. But what comes next for our heroes? Stay tuned to see the conclusion of the Pokemon World Tournament saga!_

**TO BE CONTINUED. . . . . .**


	9. Chapter 9

**Terror at the Pokemon World Tournament**

**Chapter Nine: All Hail the Chosen Trainer!**

_In a decisive victory, Ash and Pikachu have defeated Matthais and his Legendary Pokemon Heatran in a fiery finale. Now, all that remains is for our heroes to recover from this time of terror and embrace the bright future ahead of them._

* * *

Iris no longer felt. In fact, she felt very warm, as if a warming fire was nearby. She also felt something on her cheek.

Iris opened her eyes weakly, and the first this she saw was Ash's face. He smiled warmly at her, taking his hand off of her cheek.

"Iris," he said, "I did it. Matthais is gone."

"Ash. . ." Iris said softly, slowly feeling her strength returning to her as she lay on the bed, "You saved us all. . .you saved me. . ."

The pair just stared at each other for a while. Then, Ash spoke up. "Uh. . .Iris. . ." Ash's temperature seemed to spike when Iris looked at him with her beautiful brown eyes. "Uh. . do you remember what I said to you when. . after Matthais attacked you?"

Iris nodded slowly, "Yeah, you said that you were there for me, and that Dragonite and I were awesome during the battle."

Ash's heart sank. "Anything else?" he asked.

Iris thought a bit harder, ". . .no. . .did you? Was it important?"

The pair was suddenly interrupted by Axew, who had been sleeping nearby but had finally woken up. He shouted with joy and jumped over to hug Iris. As if on cue, most of the other contestants ran into Iris' room as well, cheering and smiling to see that Iris was alright.

* * *

Georgia moaned, "Did I. . .die?"

"No, thank goodness."

Georgia sat up in bed and turned to see Burgundy sitting on a chair nearby.

"Burgundy. . ." she asked, "Wha-what happened."

"Matthais said that he took your soul when he beat you," Burgundy said, "But then Ash beat him in the final round, and I guess that freed you."

Georgia blinked, "Ash saved me?"

Burgundy nodded, "Yep. And Paul and Iris too."

"Iris too," Georgia echoed thoughtfully, "Hmm. Looks like he was too much for both of us."

The girls sat in an awkward silence for a while, but then Burgundy said, "I'll never forget that advice you gave me. I'd probably given up on being a Connaisseuse if it hadn't been for you."

Georgia smiled, "Well, I don't know. You've got quite a fiery spirit."

Burgundy laughed, "Well, I evaluate that your spirit has the heat of an habenero pepper!"

The pair soon broke into laughter as they continued to compare each others fiery fighting spirits.

* * *

Trip stood beside Paul's bed as he opened his eyes. Paul looked so _very_ tired.

"Matthais. . ." he croaked, then he looked at Trip, "Well, you were right. This _was_ bigger than any of us."

Trip nodded, and Paul took a long breath.

"Well," Paul said, "I appear to be back. So what happened?"

Trip opened his mouth to speak, but Paul interrupted him.

"No, wait. I already know. Ash won, didn't he?'

Trip nodded.

Paul closed his eyes in thought, then he opened them and sat up in bed.

"He was right," Paul said with a tone of bitter irony in his voice, "He was always right, wasn't he? And I was the fool."

Paul slipped his feet into his shoes and attempted to get out of bed. He looked up at Trip and held out a hand.

"Help a friend out, will you?" Paul said with a smile.

Trip smiled back and pulled Paul onto his feet.

"You've always seemed to be more my style," Paul said, "You put power first, and yet. . .maybe Ash influenced you a bit. . "

Trip shrugged, "I guess you could say that. But I also owed a lot to Alder. When I lost to him, I learned that there is more to Pokemon battles than strength. What's really important is-."

"The bond between Pokemon and Trainer," Paul finished.

Trip nodded.

"I've got some more work to do. . ." Paul said.

"Don't worry about a thing," Trip said, "All Pokemon Trainers have to change their style. Everyone's different, so all that matters is that you're true to yourself, and fair to your Pokemon."

"Yes. . ." Paul said, "I'll remember that."

* * *

"This is The Scoop here, and congratulations to our Champion!" Freddy announced.

The crowd went wild as Ash and his Pokemon Team of Pikachu, Unfezzant, and Boldore stepped onto the field. The other contestants clapped in cheered as well from the front row.

Freddy walked onto the field, holding the golden Championship Trophy. Inside the cup were the 6 Rare Candies, Eviolite, and Master Ball.

Ash smiled gleefully as he took the trophy and held it high as cameras flashed and confetti rained down around him.

"Ash, would you like to say a few words?" Freddy asked.

Ash looked at the trophy, then at his Pokemon, then at his friends and rivals in the stands.

"Yes," he said into the microphone Freddy handed to him, "I wanna say that there are two main reasons why I was able to win today. First, I owe it all to my Pokemon, _my friends_."

Ash turned to his Pokemon and said, "All out adventures in Unova, all the battles we've fought, all the training we've gone through, it was because of all of that I was able to win. The bonds I have with you is what really makes each and every one of you so strong, and I'm proud of all of you."

The Pokemon expressed their joy happily as Ash turned to the front row of the stands.

"The second reason I was able to win, was because I had all of my friends and rivals cheering me on and watching, and I wanted to make you all proud. But, this time there was more at stake. Not only did my life hang in the balance, your lives were at risk as well. And there was no way I could let Matthais, or anyone, hurt the friends that I've battled with and traveled with for so long. I knew that winning was the only way to protect my friends, and save the ones that Matthais took from me."

Ash swallowed hard as a ball of nervousness formed in his stomach. "And. . .well . . ." Ash took a deep breath and shouted, "Iris, come out here, please!"

The crowd talked amongst each other in confusion as Iris' eyes widened in shock.

Georgia rolled his eyes and gave Iris a gentle nudge, "Aw, come on! Go get the big lug."

A few of the other contestants followed suit and Iris was soon led onto the field. She nervously approached Ash, who was doing his best to hide his own nervousness.

"Iris. . ." Ash said, his hands trembling as he did his best to keep smiling despite the terror in his belly, "When Matthais. . .you know. . .I was. . ."

Ash swallowed again and said, "I couldn't use you Iris. I just couldn't. And, well, I wanted to be your hero."

Iris couldn't believe what she was hearing. _"He couldn't loose me? He wanted to be my hero? Does he-? Could he-?"_

**_"Uh. . do you remember what I said to you when. . after Matthais attacked you?"_**

**_"Yeah, you said that you were there for me, and that Dragonite and I were awesome during the battle."_**

**_"Anything else?"_**

"Oh my gosh," Iris whispered.

"So, now that you're safe," Ash said, then he gathered together every ounce of nerve in his body and said, "I've got to tell you that I love you Iris."

The entire crowd gasped at this public confession of love. Iris, however, didn't notice the crowd at all.

"Really, Ash?' Iris said.

Ash nodded, "Yeah, I really do Iris. I mean, you're so much fun, and you're an incredible trainer. And. . .I think you're beautiful," Ash said as his face turned red.

Iris gasped, "You do?"

"Yes. And I really like your hair too," Ash added sheepishly.

"Ash. . ." Iris said, then she made up her mind and there her arms around Ash, hugging him tight. "Ash, I love you to! You're the most amazing Trainer! You're my hero!"

Iris then leaned in and whispered in Ash's ear, _"And I think you're cute.__"_

Ash's heart practically jumped for joy as she hugged Iris back. _"I guess I should kiss her now," _he thought nervously. Truth be told, this part totally freaked him out, even more than telling her he loved her. But when he looked down at Iris' smiling face, all nervousness left him. It suddenly felt natural to him as he leaned in to kiss her. It wasn't as nerve wracking or weird as he thought it would be. In fact, it was the most pleasurable experience he had ever felt, and Iris enjoyed it just as much.

As the crowd roared, Cilan nodded and said, "Indeed. I evaluate that moment as richly romantic, and this couple as a match made in Heaven!"

Burgundy smiled and said, "Excellent evaluation, Cilan."

Cilan stared at Burgundy in shock, but then smiled back.

"Ewww!" Cameron said as he turned away, causing Riolu to roll his eyes. Eevee just laughed, and out of some strange impulse, leaned over and licked Riolu on the cheek. Riolu's eyes widened in shock and turned to look at Eevee. She just smiled and giggled sweetly. Riolu just had to smile.

* * *

the group exited the Pokemon World Tournament building together. Ash held the trophy in one hand, and had his other arm around Iris' waist.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye," Misty said.

Cilan smiled, "No. It's just 'so long.' I'm sure we'll all meet again some day."

Brock nodded, "Yes, I'm sure we will."

"Good luck back at your Gym, Misty!" Iris said.

"And best of luck as a Pokemon Breeder, Brock," Cilan said.

"Thanks you guys!" Misty said, "Oh, and Ash, try to stay out of life threatening situations."

Ash laughed and said, "Well, I'll do my best! Bye!"

Misty smiled at Brock, "Shall we go now?"

Brock nodded, and she took her by the hand as the pair walked towards the bridge gate.

Ash turned to May and Dawn, "Well, I guess you'll be off to win more Pokemon Contests!"

Dawn winked, "That's right, Ash! And I plan to win the next Grand Festival!"

May waved a finger, "Not if I win it first!"

Max did a determined fist pump, "Well, while you girls do that, I'm gonna be the best Pokemon Trainer I can be!"

As the three of them left and said their goodbyes, Paul and Trip stood in the back looking on.

"So," Trip said, "What do you plan on doing."

Paul looked up at the clear blue sky, "I plan on making a new beginning in the Sinnoh Region. I've learned a few things. Maybe I'll be able to Train my Pokemon better now."

"Hey, Paul!"

Paul looked to see Ash approaching him.

"I just wanna say, don't let what Matthais said get to you," Ash said seriously, "You're not the same person you were before. You just have to leave your past behind you and move on to make a better future."

Paul thought about this, and he nodded, "Yes, Ash. I will make a better future for myself." Paul then smiled and said, "Thank you."

Ash and Paul shook hands, and the Sinnoh Trainer walked off on his path.

The rest of the group walked through the gate as well.

"You better watch out, Iris!" Georgia said with a smile, "We're still rivals! And I'm gonna be stronger than ever, cause I'm gonna learn all I can about Dragon-types!"

"And I am going to re-evaluate myself so that I can be a Connaisseuse that will give you a run for your money, Cilan!" Burgundy said.

Cilan and Iris just smiled.

"And we'll see you all at the Unova League!" Stephan said.

"That's right!" Cameron said.

"That's gonna be fun!" Virgil said.

"Indeed," Trip said.

The group then went there separate ways for the time being.

"See you at the League!" Iris said.

"Stay strong, you guys!" Ash said.

"Best wishes!" Cilan cheered.

"Pika-Pika!"

"Axew-ew! Axew-ew!"

"Rio!"

"Eevee-ee!"

As the friends and rivals walked off, As looked down at the trophy and said, "Well, let's get to the Pokemon Center so I can send this home. Mom's gonna be so happy!"

"I'm sure she will," Cilan said.

Ash scratched Pikachu behind the ears, "I owe it all to you, buddy."

Ash then held Iris around her waist and pulled her close. "I would do anything for you, Iris," he said.

Iris blushed, then she suddenly slipped out of Ash's embrace and said, "Race you to the Pokemon Center!"

Ash laughed as Iris took off. "Oh, I'm right behind you, Iris!"

Ash ran off as well, and Cilan ran behind them calling out, "Hey, wait for me!"

* * *

_And so, our heroes, as well as their friends and rivals, have grown from this experience. Once gain, our heroes have triumphed over those who would use the power of Pokemon for evil. And with the hearts of Ash and Iris now one, things are sure to get interesting with our heroes, as the journey continues. . ._

**THE END. . . . .  
**

* * *

_**A/N: **And that is it! I enjoyed writing this fanfic so much. I might even add to some of the battles and address the ones that I've skipped. But that won't be for a while. This story is finished, and thank you all fro reading and reviewing. And ignore that mean guest review, I WROTE GEORGIA AND BURGUNDY IN CHARACTER! Anyway, before you go, did any of you catch the subtle reference I made to a certain Rankin/Bass film? Let me know if you found it. Well, this is Matthais Unidostres signing off!  
_


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